Emrys:Magic Unleashed
by evelsaint93
Summary: Merlin grows up normal, his tremendous magical abilities sealed away, until one day he embraces his gifts. A journey of discovery, love, hardship, and friendship. Magical forces gather, barbaric invaders. Merlin must first destroy the Albion to save it.
1. Prolouge

Emerys-Magic Unleashed

A/N: This is my first attempt at a Merlin Fic

Summary- King Uther's attempt to stamp out magic has failed. Banding together underneath the Dragon Lord Balinor, Magic continues to thrive. Uther is devastated by the loss of his son Arthur who had mysteriously disappeared one night. The fall of Camelot is inevitable.

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><p>There is always that one event.<p>

It is the moment when you knowingly make a choice, one that changes your life irrevocably but you don't know of it. It seems like an innocuous choice but the consequences are damning. This is what Balinor faced.

The council room was empty, save for a regal figure residing on the throne. Balinor strode forward, his cloak trailing behind him. His senses were jittery, wondering what possessed the king to summon him at such late hours.

"Uther my friend! It has been too long, Are you doing well? I have heard about the tragic situation about Ygaine's death. I offer my condolences."

Uther smiled, it was an empty smile, not quite reaching his eyes. "Balinor. Ygaine's death was a mistake, one I intend to atone for. Listen old friend, I require a favor of you."

"What could the King of Camelot possibly want from a humble man like me?" Balinor joked.

"I need you to call the dragons here."

There was a pregnant pause. The situation was starting to unnerve the Dragon Lord. "Why summon the dragons? It was to my knowledge that their presence would terrorize your subjects. The kingdom won't last a week if every time someone saw a dragon, they fainted."

Uther stood up, "I intend to have the dragons be Camelot's image. The family of Pendragon will be forever known as staunch allies of such noble creatures. Will you convince your brethren to join my cause in uniting Albion?" he intoned.

Balinor was the last of his kind, part human, part dragon, part magic. He was tired of having his family slaughtered for their ability to call on their kin, the kings of the skies. Entering this alliance with Camelot would cement dragons into history as peacekeepers of a powerful kingdom. The humor was not lost on him with Uther's last name.

"That's a wonderful idea! Too long have Dragons been misunderstood as dangerous creatures. So when will we be transitioning this change? Which Dragon should I call as a mascot? I think we should use the great dragon, he is the oldest dragon currently."

Uther cut in sharply, his voice curt and somewhat rude. "I need you to summon them all as soon as possible, tommorow morning."

This stuck Balinor as an odd request, summoning the dragons were within his power but such a delicate situation should be handled slowly. He would have to seek council with the dragons first to see if they would accept. Also it doesn't seem well for Camelot if twenty plus Dragons landed in Camelot at the break of dawn. Where was Uther going with this?

"Where will the Dragons stay? How will they be fed? I don't think that it is possible to house and feed so many dragons at onc-"

"JUST SUMMON THE DAMN DRAGONS!" Uther roared, spittle flying from his mouth. His face was twisted in rage which stayed frozen for a split second before he resumed his cold facade.

Madness.

There was a certain hint of chaos radiating from Uther. It was a simmering rage, uncontrollable and unpredicted. Balinor paused, uncertain of the situation. He wanted out, Uther clearly wasn't in his right mind and the entire situation smelled of a trap. He focused his senses and he could hear the palpitating hearts of the guards that were waiting for him behind the exit. He had to leave immediately.

As Balinor turned to leave, Uther realized his plot to ensnare the dragons had failed. 'Seize him guards!" He bellowed and the door slammed open as a small contingent of guards swarmed the place. Balinor cursed in the old tongue. He unsheathed his dragon claw dagger from his boot and attacked.

If there was any doubt of a dragon lords ability to fight, it was dispelled that very night. Balinor's dagger sliced punctured through the chain mail of the guards with the slightest of resistance. As a naturally light weapon and unnaturally sharp, Balinor could strike three to five times to vital organs and areas before they could finish a single swing of their heavy long sword or halberds.

The first guard died without knowing what had happen, Balinor had twisted himself into a spinning and streamlined path of death. He bled out in four different places, arteries severed and his own heart emptying his body of blood in seconds. The second guard feel to his knees as the ligaments and tendons on the back of his knees were taken out. It set him up perfectly with the jugular cut that ended his life.

After dispatching the guards, the council room was simply a pool of blood. The clanking and creaking of iron sent shivers down the dragon lord's spine. Uther had dispatched the Knights.

The Knights of Camelot were greatly feared. One Knight is said to be equal to a battalion of soldiers. Not only where they rigorously trained, they were also equipped with a full body of steel plated armor. They wield a variety of weapons, crossbows, maces, halberds, spears, swords, shields, and one of them even had a battle axe! They were equally as lethal with each weapon and professional warriors.

Synchronized as one unit, the shields came up in a clank as the group of knights entered a phalanx position. The spear and Halberd users approached first, trying to skewer and decapitate him.

"Why Uther, WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!" Balinor cried as he leapt back to avoid a spear thrust. Was Uther under an enchantment somehow?

Uther watched coldly, "Because Magic is evil, I have seen it now. Ygaine wasn't suppose to die. It was magic that killed her. I was a fool to think otherwise, I have seen the light and it is my duty to eradicate magic from this realm!"

Balinor stood back with his eyes closed and began drawing on his energy, the magic and power of the Dragons. With this power, he was highly attuned to the world, up to a certain distance. His eyes snapped open in horror, eyes tinged yellow, the lids of his eyes scaly in appearance. "What happened to all the people? I can't feel their presence anymore."

Uther laughed madly. "All suspected and know sorcerers were rounded up secretly and killed. The final act would be to rid the magical beast from this realms.

To the untrained eye, Balinor was no different than a normal man but he was not. In his blood, ran the blood of the dragon kin. There was no one else as intimately related to the dragon as he was. In his body was their strength, their power, their rage.

He roared out in anger, a deep reverberating howl that shook the bones of those present. "If your duty is to eradicate magic from the realm, I WILL OPPOSE YOU! I WILL FIGHT YOU TO THE DYING BREATH TO KEEP THE MAGIC OF THE WORLD ALIVE! IT IS MY DUTY TO STOP YOU!"

With that proclamation, Balinor threw himself forward at the Knights. His enhanced strength allowed him bulldozer through the phalanx and to the exit. He was almost at the exit when he was shot in the back, the cross bolt almost reaching his heart. He was saved only by his enhanced defense which made his skin tough and leathery like dragon skin. It was a pale imitation as he did not have the scales but impressive defense for a human.

Gaius, the King's Court Physician and long time adviser was still alive. It was known that Gaius was a practitioner of magic and his continued existence meant Uther had spared him. Balinor headed toward Gaius, he was gambling on Gaius helping him otherwise it was over for him. He would be the last dragon lord if the blood lost was any indicator.

He turned the corner and saw Gaius just as his vision blurred and he slumped over. Will Gaius help him? or will he turn him in to the King?

It didn't matter, he was too tired to care.

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><p>Gaius bowed before the king. "My lord, I saw the departing of Balinor on a winged beast, most likely one of the younger dragons he summoned. That is where the blood trail ended."<p>

"It matters not, he will die from blood lost before he can seek medical attention. With that level of injury, he won't last a night. My pressing concern is the what would happen to Camelot of attack of magic. I've pondered about it a bit and I intend to create a specialized attack force specifically prepared to deal with magical threats against the kingdom. I need you as an adviser, you are most knowledgeable about these matters."

Gaius bowed his head. "Why yes sire. It was a passing interest in my youth, something that I dabbled with and found most disagreeable. But I pursued it for knowledge sake. In order to fight the enemy, one must know them. I will not disappoint you my lord."

"You may retire for the night."

Gaius departed slowly from the chamber, his mind reeling from the sudden reversal and rejection of magic. Not to mention, he had an injured Dragon Lord stowed away in his wardrobe.

Balinor cannot stay.

Gaius entered his room and pulled all the bolts shut. He opened the wooden door and stood deathly still. Balinor was weakened but responsive enough to draw his dagger to his throat.

"You must leave Balinor, I have told the King that you had already departed but he will still look for your corpse. I have it planned out for you. You can stay low with my friend in Ealdor, her name is Hunith. You don't have to worry, her village lies in the kingdom of Escetia. Uther is unlikely to search for you there. You must depart with all haste."

Balinor gratefully accepted a rug sack with several days of provisions and potions for the journey. "Gaius, Why did you betray the others? Why did you not warn them of Uther's madness?"

"I am weary." Gaius confessed. He appeared to have aged ten years since their last meeting. "By the time I discovered Uther's plan, there was not enough time to send out a warning. I had to work from the shadows to aid the few that I could help escape and slip them from Uther's gaze. I have not abandoned magic. My belief in the time of Albion is still unwavering."

Balinor cloaked himself and put on his hood. "I will not forget your help anytime soon. Stay well and the time of Albion will come."

Gaius would not see Balinor for another decade and by then, many things have changed.

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><p>AN: This is loosely based on the BBC TV series of Merlin. I will be incorporate a lot more from the original stories and what not. The many faces of Merlin. Excalibur. King Arthur. Dragon Lords. Morgana. Modred. This will be epic.

If you have never seen this TV series. You can find it on . Search Merlin, currently the fourth season is airing.

If you are wondering about my other stories, I'm currently putting them on hold.


	2. The Once and Future King

Emyrs: Magic Unleashed

A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed the prologue. I will flesh out the details slowly, there will be hints regarding Merlin and his abilities and also about Arthur.

_**Chapter 1: The Once and Future King**_

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><p>Ealdor was exactly how Balinor expected it to be. A lot of farmers in a small village at the outskirts of the Escetia Kingdom. It was a good place to settle down and recuperate from his injury. The potions provided by Gaius and the medicinal patches did wonders to alleviate the pain and aid in recovery but the wound was a deep one. He still need to avoid attention.<p>

The trip out of Camelot was uneventful, he had simply enchanted a pendant that masked his appearance. Magic is wonderfully convenient, unfortunately it results in being hunted and persecuted for it. Unless his reflection in the water or a mirror revealed his true appearance, he was disguised as a beefy man with a protruding belly and an unkempt beard.

Which needless to say, made him stick out like a sore thumb in Ealdor where everyone knew one another. Suspicious glares and whispers aside, this meant it would be a lot simpler to locate Gaius' friend Hunith. He approached the local blacksmith, "My good friend, I'm new to this village and I am looking for a Friend. Hunith. Do you know of her?"

The blacksmith slammed his hammer down, hoping to intimidate the stranger. Balinor quirked his eyebrow. Apparently the village didn't take well to strangers asking about one of their own. Balinor clarified, "I was sent to deliver a message for her from her friend. He believed that she could help me in some regard."

"She lives down the village near the pond yonder, the house with the greenest garden you'd see. Can't miss it. Keep your nose clean you hear?"

"Thank you kindly." With the information in hand, it was time to meet this Hunith. Aside from her name, he knew nothing of her except that she has a nice garden. In fact, aside from the introductory letter from Gaius, he doubt she would understand the situation forcing him to retreat here.

Apprehension set in for Balinor. Exactly how long was he suppose to stay under the radar? He had plenty of time, it's not like he had anything to do at the moment. The dragons were safe at their nesting grounds high up on a distant mountain protected by a vast stretch of water.

He politely knocked on the door and waited. A soft spoken but courteous voice answered him, "Just a moment." There was a slight rustling as the place was tidied up for the guest. The door open and Balinor took in the appearance of his host for the first time. She was young, in her early twenties.

She had curly brown hair that would have reached mid-back but twisted up and secured tastefully with a piece of cloth. Most of all, she had striking blue eyes that had a hidden depth to them, like trying to see through to the bottom of the ocean. She looked at the stranger at her door, his haggard appearance and slightly depressed eyes. "How can I be of help?"

Balinor had dropped the glamour on his way over, it wouldn't be fair to hide himself under a glamour during the time he would be in the hospitality of another. "Good day miss, my name is Balinor and I believe that you are acquainted with Gaius? He told me to seek your help, this letter from him should explain a lot."

Hunith took the letter and perused it, she glanced up and him and then read the letter again. Flicking her eyes at him, she was glad to see him a bit unsettled. Balinor grimaced, "Is there a problem?"

"A Dragon Lord Huh? Do I need to worry about my livestock? Just so you would know, If your dragons eat my cattle, I expect reimbursement." She said wryly.

Balinor choked on his own spit, spluttering. "That is definitely not going to happen. I'm just seeking a quiet place to recuperate."

"Then we're going to have no problems. So what cover story do you have set up? In a small town like this, it won't exactly go unnoticed when a new face shows. Any occupational experience?" She lead him inside the house, it was nice and had a homely feel to it. There were a lot of sun dried herbs and vegetable but not much meat,

He sat down, "Well aside from being a Dragon Lord, I'm a magic practitioner but aside from that, the only thing I know what to do is fighting."

Hunith sighed. "Men." She muttered irritably. "Ok, you're a traveling mercenary who had gotten injured. I was one of your previous clientele and I was the closest one to you."

She took out a clean bowl and stirred the stew resting in the pot. "Do you like your stew with beef?"

Balinor smirked, it appears that residing here for a while wouldn't be so bad after all.

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><p>( Six months later )<p>

Hunith was everything that Balinor needed and wanted. He came from a broken family, his mother gone from the pains of childbirth. It was his father who raised him and taught him about their rich heritage. Even growing up, he found himself isolated from women but now...

After six months of spending time with Hunith, he grew to admire her. He dare not admit that it was something greater than mild attraction because he knew at one point of another, he would have to leave her.

"Idjit, those damn fools raised the price of the beef once again. It's not like I have a goose who lays golden eggs!" Hunith raged as she entered their residence.

_"Wait, when did I start thinking about this place as our home? This has to stop!"_ Balinor thought.

"Hunith, you don't need to buy the beef if it's expensive. I think it's a fine stew with just barley and assorted vegetables."

Balinor knew it was a lie, he was a dragon lord and he was more connected with his draconian side than most human. This included an increased desire and taste for red meat.

"But the beef stew is your favorite..." Hunith mumbled.

Balinor felt mixed emotions warring within himself. On one hand, he was overjoyed that Hunith would be so attentive to his needs but at the same time, this spelled disaster because it meant Hunith actually liked him. This simply cannot be!

He made a great show of stretching his arm, swinging it side to side. "Ohh, this feels good. I think my wound is healed pretty much."

Hunith ignored this and tended to the fire. It was a topic that she did not want to broach. She dimly hoped that if she ignored the topic, the idea of his departure would not be brought to light.

"I think it's time to go." Balinor uttered softly. His breath hitched as he saw her shoulders tense but she continued to ignore him.

"The stew will be done in half an hour, why don't you go to the back and prepare a chicken, the feathers need to be plucked and it would be nice to save them for the pillows becuase the winter chill is coming an-"

Balinor interrupted her rushed rambling by grabbing both her shoulders and forcing her to face him. There were unshed tears blinking in her eyes and he knew. "Hunith, I have to go. It's not safe for you if I stay, I know that Uther does not believe me dead and it won't me long before something terrible happens, I can feel it in my bones."

She stopped struggling for a moment before pushing him boldly in rage. He fell backwards in an undignified roll from the unexpected assault. He looked up in time to see the bottom of a frying pan connect harshly with his face.

God bless his ancestor for their supernatural connection with the dragons. If he had been a normal human, one or more of his teeth would be missing.

Hunith panted indignantly as she continued to brain him with her trusty frying pan.

"You idiot waste of-" Clang* "Dragon shite, eating beef stew every other-" Smack* "Day telling me you're leaving because it's -" Clooong* "not safe? I'll show you why it's not safe!"

Last Dragon Lord or not, Balinor knew better than to aggravate a lady who wanted to exact vengeance. It was better to take the beating now rather than interrupt it halfway. He learned that the hard way when he accidentally burned her favorite quilt.

That evening, he spent the night outside in the cold.

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><p>The next day, he decided to apologize by helping her with her chores. Collecting firewood was a physically demanding task and with the winter season coming, quality firewood was even harder to find. Most of the decent firewood were transported from Camelot where the tree trunks were thick and pithy.<p>

In Escetia, the trees were skinny and branchy, not good burning material in the winter. So Balinor decided to borrow her axe and head to the borders where the trees gave better material. It was near dawn when he reached the border and found a nice middle sized tree which he could log.

Before he could get started, he spied the smothering smoke from a recently restarted camp fire. Merchants perhaps? It would be nice if he could purchase a gift for Hunith as an apology.

As he got closer, he could see the sun's first rays shine off the metal armor showing the red insignia of a dragon. His fingers twitched to his hidden dagger as he recognized them as Knights from Camelot. They weren't your typical knights either, he could see protective runes etched into their armors and their swords were forged with runes for heightened piercing and slashing capabilities.

Hell, he even saw some anti-magic amulets and charms to repel metal compulsions and enchantments.

It was a chilling prospect but it appeared Uther had created a specialized anti-magic combatant team, specializing in killing scorers and magical creatures.

Balinor quietly went back to his horse and set off for Elador, he had to leave immediately.

xXxXx

Hunith had just finished making the porridge when Balinor rushed in, sweating wildly and in a frenzied rush. Her heart sank when she saw his expression, he looked like a panicked animal under the fire of a crossbow.

"What happened Balinor. I didn't see you this morning and I thou-"

"I have to leave by nightfall! I went to the borders this morning to log some firewood when I saw Uther's men! They were equipped in anti-magic gear and they are here for me! I can't let them discover me here. Aiding a fugitive is punishable by death."

Balinor grabbed several key essentials and stuffed them into a knapsack. When he was done packing he turned to her. "Hunith, I don't think I've ever been so happy before or felt so warm. Being with you was like being a family, if I could stay... I would have taken you as my wife."

Hunith gasped and blinked tears at his confession. She ran at him to hold him, to show him that they could indeed be together. Balinor dropped his bag and met her halfway with a searing kiss.

For Balinor who has close ties with his emotions and magic, he knew she was the one. His magic blazed within him in a washing tidal wave of fulfillment. At that very moment, he didn't care even if an army of knights camped outside waiting . He felt invincible and capable of taking on the world if it meant he could keep her safe.

He broke off the kiss for a gasp of air. "Hunith, I ne-"

She cut him off and kissed him again. "Shut up. You don't need anything but to remember this. I expect you to experience many a lonely night so let's start working on giving you something to remember."

Balinor could only gape and nod his head dumbly. He never knew Hunith could be so agressive but oddly enough, he liked that aspect of her more than he would care to admit.

xXxXx

Hunith wrapped her shawl around her to ward off the chill in the air. She had convinced Balinor it would be easier to depart when the sun set.

"Where will you be going?"

Balinor put on his hood and double checked his provisions. "Deep into the Kingdom of Camelot. They had already searched their kingdom excessively. It would be unlikely for them to expect that their enemy would be right in the heart of their territory. Also I have to go back and help those that Uther is hunting."

She clutched at his robes fearfully. "I know I can't convince you to stay but promise me that you will be safe and that you will think of me from time to time."

Balinor looked at her with the blue eyes she looked so dearly. "I don't think I can come back anytime soon but keep this with you on all times. This is an artifact passed on from my great grandfather. It will repress any magic you might innately have and put protect you from any scrying and magic detection spells. I lived here for far to long with you and my aura is all over the place.

He gave her the deceptively plain looking leather band and secured it to her wrist. He whispered an incantation usable only by Dragon Lords.

_ἀζωία!_

The leather band glowed gold as the name Hunith appeared on the brown leather. "There, this will suppress your presence so no one can find you. No matter how many times they check, you will be a normal woman." He gave her a brief kiss, "I will be back" and he left abruptly knowing if he stayed even just a bit longer, he would not be able to bring himself to leave.

"I will wait for you no matter how far and wide you travel, no matter how long time passes." Hunith vowed as she watched the man she loves departed.

Balinor set off the Camelot with one goal._ "I will need some sort of insurance over Uther, the only thing he ever loved and held dear was his wife who is departed. That leaves his young son, Prince Arthur. I will take Arthur and raise in my own image, teaching him to embrace magic. When I use the young prince to overthrow Uther, I can finally be with Hunith."_

Little did he know, that was the last time he saw Hunith.

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><p>AN: Here is the first chapter. It goes a bit in depth about Balinor and Hunith.

Certain events start to change drastically. Balinor does not go into hiding in the woods but instead decides to kidnap Arthur and use his as leverage against Uther. At the same time the leather band has a special property that was activated by Balinor's spell.

I proudly present the first spell of this story!

_ἀζωία! - Dragon Lord Spell translating "the absence of life" It is a spell originally created to repress a dragon lords power and abilities during a time of persecution. It hides any abnormal abilities and protects the wearer from any sort of Magical detector._

_The next chapter will be a short chapter on Merlin and Arthur._

Read and **Review**. Let me know what you think, this story will be very Alternate Universe and have a lot of magic, new abilities, and legendary weapons!


	3. The Journey Begins

Emrys: Magic Unleashed.

A/N: The real story starts here. If only every left a review I'd be happy. So would Merlin. Please read the A/N on the bottom. Important.

Chapter Three: The Journey Begins

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><p>( Twelve Years Later )<p>

The years seem to have passed by without a second glance back. Had it really been twelve years since Balinor left? Hunith sometimes couldn't help but reminiscence about the past. She had not seen him since he had departed but being caught up in the past just won't do, especially not since M-

"Mom, I'm back!"

Hunith turned around to greet her son but her smile died when she saw him.

"Merlin, what did I say about showing off your abilities again?" She warned dangerously. He never listens to her warnings but that was expected from a rebellious twelve year old. Except for the fact that he didn't look twelve at all.

Merlin dropped the entire deer carcass on the floor where it impacted with a loud thump. The weight of the kill must have been at least 150 lbs if not more. His large innocent grin showed his perfectly white and aligned teeth, his canines slightly more pointed. However most striking was his eyes, they bore a light green hue that glowed slightly in the dark but dazzled like crystal in the sun. The short trimmed black hair only serve to highlight his slightly pronounced ears. It made him like goofy but cute in an endearing way.

Merlin walked past her, taking huge gulps of water from the jug. "I got this deer right by the town. I woke up from my nap and it was grazing beneath the tree, begging me to make it dinner. So I dropped down on it and snapped it's neck and carried it back. No one saw me I swear!"

Hunith reached up and pulled on his ear, eliciting a yelp from him. Merlin already had surpassed her in height, reaching 5'7" in height at the mere age of twelve. It was every mother's wish that their son would one day grow taller than their parents but not so quickly. Hunith was proud that Merlin was growing up healthy but there was much he had to learn about the world. It was especially hard to deal with him due to his 'Special Abilities."

It all started when Merlin was a baby. She had left his toy on the table and turned to tend the hearth when she heard Merlin giggle uncontrollably. She turned around and almost had a heart attack when she saw his straw doll flying through the air, her baby's blue eyes flashing yellow. She remembered falling to her knees, stunned at the prospect that Merlin could use magic before he could walk or talk. She had no doubt that such miraculous abilities were gifted to Merlin for a reason but what good were such gifts if it brought death?

The King of Escetia was recruiting sorcerers to wage war against Uther and Hunith did not want Merlin to be taken from her and raised as a killer. The situation had gone from bad to worse when the spontaneous combustion of flames turned to animation of furniture and the slowing of time. Some of the things Merlin did as a child still left her in awe. He had made a broom his pet and it acted like a dog, following Merlin around everywhere.

She broke that broom over her knee and burned it.

She also witnessed him looking at buzzing insects, their wings slowing to an impossible speed as he decelerated their time and tried to understand how they could fly. It had reached the point where the neighbors were starting to wonder what was happening exactly in her house and something had to be done. She tried reaching out to Balinor but there was no news of him, he had truly went underground in Camelot. There was no way she could take a magical miracle producing baby into Camelot and she trusted no one to take care of him in her absence.

She was about to give up all hope and hide away in some remote cave until Merlin was old enough to control his own power when an idea struck her. It was the artifact that Balinor gave her when he departed. The wristband was said to carry a spell that hid the wearer from any sort of magical detection and repressed any supernatural abilities. Balinor warned her never to take it off but she was sure that avoiding magical detection was useless if your baby was using magic to rewrite the very laws of nature. So she took it off and tied it around Merlin's arm.

It was the worst two weeks of Hunith's life.

Nothing had compared to that experience, not Balinor's leaving, not the pain of Merlin's birth, and not even when she had got her leg caught in a bear trap. The bracelet had suppressed Merlin's magical ability. The leather band now had 'Merlin' where her name had once been. Merlin had tugged at the band, trying to pull it off and cried in frustration when he couldn't. He had refused to eat and his screaming continued into the point where he could no longer scream and tears no longer flowed.

The cycle repeated itself and Merlin was soon stricken with a fever and malnourished with sickness. Hunith knew Merlin was suffering and nothing pained her more as a mother but she couldn't take it off, he had to get better. Hunith prayed every night to any Deity or God to watch over Merlin and help him overcome this trial of pain.

Unknowingly to her, the band changed Merlin's fate and kicked all the foretold prophecies right out the back door. Merlin was born with magic, a reservoir of power that developed and grew as he aged. Unlike those who studied incantations and pulled magic from the earth, he had an innate source of power that could not and should not be repressed. With his magic powers sealed, Merlin was dying. The magic was so deeply ingrained into his very being, the shock of not being able to access it was killing him.

That was when the divine powers decided to intervene. Instead of Merlin dying before he could fulfill his destiny, he was given a chance to still bring about the "Time of Albion." Granted, the trip there might be very different but it was the final result that was important. Merlin would usher in a Golden Age of Magic but the journey itself has changed.

Hunith's prayer was answered. Merlin had stopped fussing and his appetite returned. Hunith still teased Merlin about what a glutton he is by referencing to the period where her breast were sore from all the nursing and feeding she did after his near death incident. It seemed overnight, Merlin's intake of food tripled and all the extra food had not gone to waste. By the time he was six months old, two months after the sealing, she found him walking around on shaking legs.

Ever since then, she found Merlin to be bigger and developing faster than kids his age. She attributed it partially to Balinors heritage as a Dragon Lord but she wasn't sure until Merlin accidentally burned the house down. Merlin was four and after a heavy meal of beef stew, he burped into his napkin and a small puff of fire ignited the cloth. He screamed and threw the burning cloth behind him... into the firewood pile which proceeded to catch fire. Hunith had immediately grabbed him and ran out of the house where the rest of the village tried to put the flames out.

After a few efforts to douse the flames with water from the well, Hunith and the villagers gave up. The well was too far from her house and precious drinking water was being wasted. It was apparent to her that the flames were not ordinary flames either. They were far hotter and burned faster than normal flames did. Hunith learned from that incident that Merlin, despite having his magic sealed away, was not normal.

After Merlin had his magic sealed, his body decided to focus it's power inwards on the body rather than expelling it through conscious use of magic. This resulted in accelerated development and optimal genetic growth. Merlin was stronger, faster, and tougher than most boys. He could see better in the dark, hear better than most people, and smell things that no one notices. Hunith had always explained to him that they were special abilities and gifts from his father, A Dragon Lord.

Thankfully after the incident, Merlin never showed the ability to breathe fire again. Hunith reasoned that her son was probably traumatized by the entire event. Nothing much had changed beside the fact that Merlin's eyes grew a pale green from their bright blue. He had gotten into a few incidents with the other village boys where he accidentally used his superior strength without realizing it. Explaining to your son that he couldn't play with his friends because he was different was a hard but necessary decision.

As a result Merlin grew up with a penchant for exploring the woods and hunting but rarely making friends. But now that he was older, his abilities were more apparent especially with the game he was bringing in. No twelve year old should be able to carry a deer carcass back with such ease. Something had to change.

"-nd then Will tells me that he wants to be a merchant when he grows up and I laugh at him because his math is so bad. Then he said I would most likely be some sort of farm boy for the rest of my life becau-"

Hunith came back from her memories and interupted Merlin's rambling. "So what do you want to grow up to do?"

Merlin scratched his head sheepishly. "Well, I kind of want to do something to help the war. A physician maybe? I mean with the entire situation with Camelot, Escetia, and the other kingdoms. Why can't we just all get along live peacefully?"

Hunith softened, Merlin really did have a big heart but he doesn't understand the complexities and politics behind running a kingdom. "Merlin, life isn't that simple. There are things that people want but there is not enough of, so they fight for it. There are people who don't like how other people do things, so they fight about it. There are people who live and embrace different powers and cultures but are prosecuted for it. The land cannot be brought together by being nice and shaking hands."

"So peace can't be attained through being nice and honest? Why do we even have to be part of this fight anyway? We can move somewhere nice and qiuet."

Hunith shook her head, "Merlin, anywhere you go, there will be war. There will be people who disagree and fight. Peace cannot be brought about through talk. Someone has to step up, end all the fighting, and unite the land of Albion. Only then can the people start working on peace and not war."

"Wow." Merlin had never thought of it that way before. All he knew was that war forced the King to impose a heavy tax on them and that the men who went off for war usually never returned. The idea of uniting the land so no more wars and battle would be fought sounded like a dream, a dream that was possible and within his grasp. His thoughts were derailed when Hunith gave him a bowl of stew, actually it was the size of a small cauldron but it was a regular serving size for him.

"Yrum. Dhis is so tasty Mum." He mumbled through mouthfuls of beef stew. Hunith made sure that Merlin had his balanced diet of grain and vegetables but he took after his father with the penchant of eating meat. She joined him after ladling her share and sighed in exasperation when she saw he was already half done with his meal. Like father, like son, they shared a love for her beef stew.

* * *

><p>A few weeks after the discussion about uniting Albion, Merlin came home to find his mother sitting in front of the hearth. She had an unusually somber look on her face and didn't even notice when he walked in.<p>

"Mom?"

She gave him a proud smile and motioned at him to sit. There were times when she gave him a look and he knew that something needed to be announced. The last time he got this look was when she told him of his special abilities.

"Do you remember when you said you wish you could help in bringing peace to the land?" She asked, searching his eyes for his answer before he could voice a response.

"I do but I'm a twelve year old kid. What can I do?" he said dismissively.

"I know of a blacksmith in the capital that forges weapons and armor in the Captial of Escetia, the Kingdom. He is willing to take an apprentice for a fee and I do have some gold saved up. I want you to go and learn his craft."

I'm not throwing you away Merlin." She added seeing the hurtful look enter his eyes.

"I just want you to go and see the world. There is so much you can learn and so much you can be. This village is holding you back, I'm holding you back."

"Don't say that mum. Without you, I'm nothing." Merlin said fiercely.

"I love you too baby but staying here is going to get you in trouble. What you learn from the blacksmith is yours to keep for life. It will be a trade you can fall back on. You said you wanted to help unite the land right? Then you can help out by making the armors and swords that the army uses for battle. You can help out one step at a time. Wars aren't won overnight. Take this chance to start your own journey." She implored him.

"When do I leave?" Merlin said resigned, he knew her words to be true.

"At first light. There is a merchant group heading to the capital. You should arrive in three days time."

Merlin was shocked at the sudden departure time. "But one night... that's not enough time for me to be with you. I'm not ready!"

Hunith poked her son on the chest. "You are ready. Everything I have taught you, you have remembered. Everything I have shown you, your heart knows. I'm with you all the time even if I'm not next to you. That is a mother's love and it will protect you even if I'm gone."

Merlin hugged his mother and started crying, trying to take in every bit of her before he left tomorrow. He wanted to remember her eyes, her hair, her smile, and the sound of her voice. Despite his appearances, he was still Merlin, a twelve year old boy who loved his mother and he doesn't know when the next time he would see her.

Stroking his hair in a way only mothers could, she soothed him with reassurances. "I will be fine here alone and I will visit every year. Do you remember what I told you?"

Merlin nodded, clearing his throat. "My abilities must be used only for good and it must be kept a secret at all times. I must protect those who cannot protect themselves. Also to live everyday to the best of my ability."

She smiled proudly, holding her son by the shoulders. "Remember that you are my son and don't let the world change you. Do what you heart tells you and don't listen blindly to others. Also, watch out for pretty girls."

Merlin scrunched up his eyebrows in confusion and Hunith laughed. The eyebrows and his ears made Merlin look so cute. "What do you mean watch out for pretty girls?"

At this point Hunith stopped laughing. "W-Well, I mean they sometimes use their beauty to fool you and make you act in ways you don't normally do." She stammered.

Merlin cocked his head sideways. "Like how?"

Hunith cursed inwardly. It had just occurred to her that Merlin never received the talk about the birds and the bees. Damn Balinor for not being here, it was a father's duty to impart their knowledge to their son. Hunith would have had no trouble explaining it to a daughter but Merlin... oh boy was this tough.

"Well honey. I think there's something you need to know. When a man and a woman loves each other very much... uh... they... DAMN YOU BALINOR!"

In a hidden cave in Camelot, Balinor let out a shudder_. "It feels like someone just walked over my grave. Brrr."_

The next morning, Merlin gave his mother a hurried hug and walked over to the Merchant cart as quickly as possible. Merlin could swear that the tips of his ears were still burning red from yesterdays talk. His mother had been very thorough in telling him what to expect, what do do, what to avoid, and how not to get the girl pregnant.

For the time being, Merlin was glad he was going off for an apprenticeship. He won't be able to look at his mother in the face before a year was over.

* * *

><p>AN: And that's a wrap. Quite a bit of information was revealed here. Merlin taps into his Dragon Lord Abilities a bit more. Increased strength speed, endurance and a change in eye color!

Also who found it hilarious that Hunith had to be the one who gave Merlin the talk?

I'm thinking right now if I should have Hunith killed off and used as a plot device. I mean I do need a stressor to make Merlin snap and stray from his path.

Hunith really doesn't do much in the series besides stay in her village and farm. Already I'm juggling the existence of Balinor.

Also, prince Arthur will make his appearance about 4 years form this point when Merlin is 16.

So let me know what you think of Merlin's new abilities. Would having him breathe Dragon Flames be overkill? I'm trying to avoid a Gary-Stu as most of my characters usually tend up.

Evelsaint out~

P.S. Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate!


	4. Halcyon days

Emrys: Magic Unleashed

A/N: I do not own Merlin. I only own a nice IPhone 4 which I lost in the back of the taxi and found again. Enjoy this next chapter.

Actually if everyone gave me a review I would be happy. You don't even need to log in to do so.

Chapter 3: Halcyon days

* * *

><p>For the first time in his life, Merlin understood why people called him a hill-billy. When he caught sight of the capital, his jaws dropped open and had been catching flies ever since they passed through the gate. There were so many people! Fat, young, old, sick, healthy, rich, poor, you name it and there they were. Also the noise and bustle of the market was a never-ending cacophony of screaming merchants and haggling housewives. It was such a stark difference from the peaceful and small village where everyone knew their neighbors. Here, you were more likely to be robbed by your neighbor rather than befriending them.<p>

Exotic spices, brightly colored fabrics, and assortments of magical trinkets were on display for sale. It was the first thing Merlin noticed, the second thing he noticed was the number of pickpockets in the area. After warding off the fifth attempt to pick his pocket, Merlin grew weary. His keen senses felt their finger brushing over his pocket and the weight of his wallet being displaced. With his highly attuned senses it was easy to catch the perpetrator in act but most of them were young children. He couldn't exactly hand them over to the authorities.

As novel and refreshing as it was to experience the city life, Merlin was sure he would have ample opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the capital in due time. The more pressing matter was to locate the forge. In his haste to reach the castle, Merlin stumbled into a young girl roughly his age. The resulting collision displaced the assorted packages of ingredients in her wicker basket and he fell onto her in a mass of tangled limbs.

Merlin sprang apart from her with a recoiled snap of embarrassment and horror. He offered the young girl his hand, profusely apologizing and hoping that she did not misunderstand his intentions. "I'm most sorry miss, It's my honest error in not paying attention to the road. Let me help you up."

The girl huffed angrily a bit and bit her cheek. Some bumbling idiot bowled her over and landed on her in an inappropriate manner. She was tempted to shout "Pervert!' but held against the irrational and emotion-clouded choice when she saw the young man spring off her with post-haste and regret written in his eyes.

Ooohhh those beautiful green eyes. She had never been so mesmerized by the flickering hue of green that shifted subtly in the mid-noon sun. On a normal day as a serving girl for the kitchen, Vivian would have never bumped into Merlin, she would have gone on with her life as normal and eventually die during a rather violent uprising but as fate would have it, she met Merlin and everything changed.

Vivian took Merlin's aiding hand and he helped her to his feet, gathering her spilled ingredients and placing them back into her basket. The young man gave her a lopsided smile, partly embarrassed and partly delighted. "I was so preoccupied in locating the Royal Forge, I did not see you. My name is Merlin and I'm terribly sorry to have bumped into you Miss ...?"

He looked at her quizzically with those wide and honest eyes of hers as if he actually expected her to give a random stranger her name. However, he was openly honest and a bit cute to boot. She gave him a polite smile, "My name is Vivian. I actually and a serving girl in training at the palace. You are looking for the forge? I can show you there." Her offer was a bit forward for a lady but she doubt that Merlin would do anything dangerous like kidnap her in broad daylight.

Merlin couldn't help but hug Vivian with a brief hug. "Oh thank you so much. I'm actually here for an apprenticeship so I should be seeing you more often."

Vivian's face was flushed, color showing in her cheeks. "I-is that r-right?", she stammered out, flustered by the sudden and intimate contact. She was shocked and surprised when he wrapped his strong arms around her in such an open display of affection, most people from the city would not engage in this behavior, thus she concluded that he must be from a far away village. She showed him along, making small talk along the way. After all, what better way to make a friend than to ask them inane questions that no one else would ask?

xXxXxXxXx

Vivian showed him all the way to the inner sentry point to the lower level and bade him the best of luck. "This is as far as I can take you, find me anytime in the kitchen Merlin! Don't be a stranger okay?" Without waiting for an answer, she gave him a brief hug and hurried away in a fast pace.

Merlin smirked as another person fell to the power of his infectious hug, soon the land of Estecia will be his, free hugs for all!

Delusions of grandeur aside, the guard stood at attention looking at him expectantly. Their hands were not so subtly placed on the hilt of their weapon, ready to draw and cut down any threats at any given moment.

"Let's see, The palace Forge. I need to find Smith Master Virol?" Merlin consulted his letter for the stoic guard, perhaps you could guide me kindly?"

"Through the door and down the hallway. Take the winding staircase down and let me know when you are done collecting your horseshoes." The guard drawled.

Merlin was affronted. Horseshoes? Why he ought to stick a horseshoe up the guard's pompous ass! Not wanting to jeopardize his new apprenticeship, Merlin swallowed the indignity and walked inside. There was not much lighting in the lower level of the castle; the torches generated flickering shadows that traveled along the walls looking like demons. A piercing and painful scream rent the air making Merlin shuddered. He did not want to know who made that horrible keening wail.

"What are you standing around here for?" A gravely voice asked. Instant panic set in as his senses detected nothing.

Merlin spun around. "Did you hear that screa-aaaAAAHHH!" His question turned into a higher pitch yell as he laid eyes on what must be a giant or at least a descendant of one. Well, there was a possibility that the man was simply big but he found himself doubting it.

The immensely tall man had huge bulging muscles on the shoulders and the arms. Not to mention his chest and stomach was twice as wide as his. Long brown hair fell straight to the man's shoulder and the scar running from the forehead across his left eye to the left cheek was angry red. Also the man was three heads taller than he was.

"Stop your screaming! The dungeons are right next to the forge and I hear enough screams as it is. Those lazy bastards had the bright idea of putting the interrogation chamber and the forgeside by side because they were too lazy to heat up their own coals for their torture implements. 'Oh why burn twice the amount of fuel when you can walk next door and borrow some hot metal?' they say. Damn lazy dogs." The hulk of a giant cursed a few more times. He lifts an eyebrow and looked at Merlin.

"I'mherebecauseI''mfromEladorandpleasedon'teatme." Merlin begged in one immense rush of jumbled words. Merlin did his best to use his puppy eye look and got a cuff to the head that sent him spinning.

"None of the freaky eye thing." The man growled. "I am Virol and you must be that hill-billy boy that was due to arrive today.

Merlin got back onto his feet groggily. "Is that right? It's nice to meet you Master Virol."

Virol clasped Merlin around the shoulder with a grizzly hand and grizzly it was as it covered half the span of his back. "Don't be so quick to call me master yet. I need to test to see if you have the physical capabilities of working metal. I don't need some snot nose momma's boy who can't even lift a hammer to hound me for four years. How old are you again boy?"

"Twelve as of this spring sir." Merlin replied succinctly hoping his maturity would show through.

Virol whistled in surprise. "Good lord, what has your mom been feeding you? I thought you were fifteen at least!"

At that proclamation, Merlin looked a bit sheepish and embarrassed. "Actually, I do tend to eat a lot. I need to eat five regular serving for one meal… Is that going to be a problem because I don't have any more money on hand. I could go hunting bu-"

"What is your name again?"

"Oh right. Merlin. Nice to meet you."

Virol gave him a sly grin. "Well Merlin, assuming I take you on as an apprentice. Us blacksmiths can eat as much as we want because it takes energy to be able to work the forge all day. No one wants their sword to break or their armor to fail in battle simply because the smith was to hungry to work properly. That is impeccable logic." Virol declared as he directed Merlin inside the forge.

Merlin could fight off the infectious smile that found it's way on his face. "This sounds like the start of a beautiful apprenticeship. I'm ready for the test!"

XxXxXx

The temperature inside the forge was sweltering and Merlin found himself sweating already. There were other young men working around in various workstations. Some were using the bellow to fan the flames to brilliant white fire. Some were pounding away at slabs of metal. One was even using tools to trace delicate designs.

Virol introduced Merlin and got their attention by slamming a hammer down on the anvil. "Alright lads, we have fresh blood with us today. Merlin here is from Elador and he's here to take the apprenticeship test." One of the teens with black curly hair and blue eyes jeered at him. "I never even heard of this Eldaor. It must be some backwater village." Merlin flushed, he was proud of his village, it wasn't something to be ashamed of!

"Well I guess I'm glad I was raised in some back water village that actually taught values such as good manners and politeness isn't it?"

Virol growled at them both. "Settle down. Remember Jerry that you're just a hired hand and I can get a replacement anytime."

Jerry frowned at the threat and said nothing. The rest of the teens introduced themselves.

"I'm Gary, born and raised here. Trying to pick up a few tricks to work with metal of my own."

"Bryan, I want to be an artisan and I'm learning metal design here."

"William, Blacksmithing pays well."

"Jeffrey, I want to be a Master Armor smith."

"Jerry, I'm here to make some money. It pays well and unlimited food."

Virol lead Merlin the other way into the back room while dismissing the rest of them. "Finish up with your daily workload while I test this baby chick."

Merlin entered what he assumed to be Virol's private workplace judging by the half finished swords of superior quality. There were also several completed swords displayed on the wall, each having a keen edge with a distinct wave pattern on the blade. The two most outstanding swords were a pair of black and white sabers with a a inverse Tao design. Without a doubt they were forged and created as a pair.

"Wow." he said breathlessly. He had never seen such craftsmanship on any piece of metal. "They must cost a fortune."

Virol stood next to him with a proud grin. "Not for sale. Those are my personal swords Kanshou and Bakuya. They are the culmination of my study under a master from the land of Asia.

They were crafted more for the sake of crafting, rather than for any real idea behind their creation. They were created without vanity, and lack a sense of purpose found in other swords. They contain no fighting spirit to defeat others or competitive spirit to beat other weapons, and they contain neither the desire to be famous nor the faith to accomplish great deeds.

They are identical in shape with the only difference being their color. Kanshou, the black Yang sword, is covered in a hexagonal pattern, and Bakuya, the white Yin sword, has less of the shine of a polished metal in its ore than it has the haze of a cloud.

"And what happened to the Asian Master?"

Virol was quiet for a moment, contemplating whether or not to tell Merlin as what happened was very personal. He had known the boy for less than two hours but already he feels that he could trust him. He decided to tell Merlin the abridged truth.

"He had reached the pinnacle of his trade and was forbidden from his king to teach anyone else his secrets but he broke that rule. He taught it to me and told me to pass on his teachings, he said that one day, I will meet an apprentice who will forge a sword that will be known to the entire world. That's why I give everyone who wants to be my apprentice a test. Nothing matters if they have the heart but no talent. Merlin, do you think you can take up this challenge? Forging a sword that will be remembered for all of time?

Merlin had no idea how to respond. He was twelve for crying out loud! He was too young to be dedicating himself to such a goal. He wanted to learn the trade and go back home to care after his mother but Virol was obviously expecting an answer. Merlin thought about his mother's words about saying what his heart felt and took a deep breath.

"I think you are going at this the wrong way." he said.

Virol stared at Merlin, "Oh how am I wrong?" he growled.

Merlin continued, "I think that what you had with your master was more than a sense of duty to spread his teaching. I think you should stop worrying about finding the apprentice that will make the sword and focus more on making sure his teachings never die. The dream of one man doesn't die with his generation. If you truly care for the dream but cannot achieve it yourself. Isn't it your duty to pass on that flame of desire to those who shall succeed you?"

Virol said nothing but turned away. "You are wise for one so young but you are still taking this test."

Merlin groaned into his hands, he nearly broke his brain coming up with that deep and wise answer but apparently it failed. He still had to take the test.

Virol plunked a cube of grayish metal the size of his fist in front of Merlin. "I want you to make something with this. I don't care what. It can be a blade, a dagger, or anything like a medallion."

Merlin's shoulder sagged in relief and he gave an relieved smile. "Well, then this out to be easy."

Virol started chuckling. "There is a reason why so far the success rate is 0% and I have never took on an apprentice. You can use anything in this room and I will be back tomorrow morning expecting something." He gave one last chuckle before leaving Merlin there sweating nervously.

Merlin looked at the cube of metal. "How hard can this be?"

Famous last words.

* * *

><p>He encountered a multitude of problems, the first one being the forge. Merlin had no idea how to work the forge. He knew that the flames were fanned by air forced through the bellow so he started there first. He loaded up the coal and firewood and started the fire, using the bellow to sustain the fire. That was when he discovered the first problem.<p>

He didn't know how to operate the bellow properly. When he pumped too quickly, the fire splutters and jumps up in temperature. When he pumps it too slowly, the temperature drops. Merlin might not know a lot about forging but he knew that the flame had to be an even temperature for the metal to be rid of impurities. It took him several logs of wood but he found a way to operate the bellow using his leg, freeing his hands to work with the metal.

He inserted the cube into the heart of the fire and waited for the metal to soften. He waited and waited and waited but the cube did not change from it's grayish appearance. The metal needed to be heated to the point where it appeared orange and white before it was malleable enough to be wrought and hammered. He took it out of the flames and set it down on the anvil, the cube looked deceptively normal. It was when he struck it with the hammer when the second problem became apparent.

The hammer had struck the metal cube with a resounding clang, sending vibrations up his arms and through his bones. He held up the head of the hammer and gaped at the indent caused by the corner of the cube. This was no ordinary metal. The cube needed to be heated up further in order to be hammered so Merlin stuck the cube back into the flames and waited.

After a straight hour in the flame, the flame stayed the same color, so Merlin waited.

Two hours later, Merlin was still waiting.

Four hours later, "I give up! this is impossible!" Merlin collapsed on his back, spent from bludgeoning the cube with the hammer repeatedly in hopes of even denting the metal. Merlin sat up and glared at the innocuous gray cube, it can't be done! You would need magic to-"

Merlin blinked at the simple realization. Normal fire couldn't even begin to heat this particular metal, maybe there is a magical component to this metal that can only be smelted through magical flames? Eager at this prospect, Merlin sat up and glared at the cube, willing it to heat up and become malleable.

He glared and grit his teeth in focus, he could almost feel it happening. His eyes glowed with restrained power but dimmed in the end.

Nothing happened.

Merlin slammed his fist down in frustration. He could almost feel it, the buildup of power to power the magical flames but it slipped away at the crucial moment. He had heard stories from his mother about him creating spontaneous combustion of flames as a toddler so he knew it was within his capabilities. That was when he remembered the cause.

_"You must never take this leather band off unless it is an emergency. It holds back your special abilities and keeps you out of trouble." _

Those were his mother's exact words to him, his name sake written on the band. He traced the golden letters of his name, unsure whether or not the situation counted as an emergency. Still it couldn't hurt to take it off for a bit. He had it for as long as he could remember and if something happened, he could always put it back on.

Holding his breath, he undid the cloth knot and closed his eye to prepare himself for the rush of magical power that would engulf him.

The power slammed into him like a tidal wave, making him gasp with surprise. It was the best drug, a feeling he never wanted to part from. He was finally whole again!

Well, that was what he was expecting but in reality, he didn't feel any noticeable difference at all. He set the band to the side and checked himself over, no extra arms or third eye appearing. That ruled out the theory that he was secretly a half demon sealed into a normal human state. In fact nothing was different at all he observed as he leaned over a bucket of water to examine his face.

Whoa! The water reflection showed his face but with one stark difference. He had blue eyes!

He examined the reflection eagerly. Staring back at him were the familiar blue eyes that his mother had! He was told that he was born with bluest eyes as a baby but the green came from the sealing. He checked himself in the mirror and found that blue really did suit him. He focused on the water, his eyes flashing golden yellow, and slowly but surely, the water started rising in the air in huge globes as if lifted by an invisible force.

Merlin laughed gleefully, his magic was back! He looked at the bellow and to willed it to pump at a constant speed. Immediately the bellow went to work unguided by human hands. Now it was time to create a magical fire. The metal cube that was sitting in the flames appeared a bit differently to his senses. This time he could see a low blue glow emanating from the metal. he didn't know the specifics but it was definitely magical.

He focused on the fire in the forge, willing it to become hotter, burn brighter. His magic responded to the command and and the flame flared a bright dazzling white of which he had never seen before. Within minutes, the cube started turning orange, showing progress in the smelting. When it started turning white, he pulled it out and set it on the anvil.

He lifted the hammer above his head and swung down. The cube gave way to the blow, becoming a bit flatter. Merlin started cheering as he pounded away on the metal, not knowing what it was that he wanted to make but excited with working the metal. It was like a new toy, one that he was playing around with. Virol himself said that it didn't matter what he made as long as he could work the metal.

Merlin was struck with an evil idea and started laughing when he imagined the look on Virol's face tomorrow when he would see his new creation.

That night, Merlin discovered a life long love for creation, a love that would surpass all other enjoyment.

xXxXxXxXx

Virol yawned when he entered the forge. As he expected, he found Merlin curled up on the floor in front of the bellow. It was disappointing that Merlin gave up since he actually liked the kid, not that he would ever admit it out loud. Still what Merlin said yesterday struck him as true. He really shouldn't be too caught up on the apprentice business, if he was meant to meet them, they would come to him.

Virol dropped a sack of coal next to Merlin, "Rise and shine. Had a late night right?" Merlin jolted up and blinked through bleary eyes. He stretched and yawned, pulling out a back scratcher to get an itch he couldn't reach. "You had no idea." Merlin confessed.

"It was hell. Working the bellow took me a few hours to operate decently and then I find out that the fire wasn't hot enough to melt the metal. After four hours of trying to heat it up, I kind of gave up." Merlin shrugged, his back scratcher braced on his shoulder.

Virol gave him a reassuring pat on the back. "Don't worry about it. No one else has passed the test. It just takes a certain approach and a unique skill set in order to do so."

Merlin nodded, "That's why all I could make was this metal is this back scratcher."

Virol nodded, "That's right, a metal back scratcher is wa-wait. What!" He snatched the metal back scratcher from Merlin's hand and examined it for any trace of trickery. It was a fairly normal looking as far as a back scratcher went. It was a long flat bar of metal that curved at the tip to form a blunt five prong scratcher. Without a doubt it was made from the material he tasked Merlin to use. The final proof was Merlin's named etched proudly into the handle near the base.

"It isn't the best work but on short notice and with my meager skills, I can't think of anything else to make." Merlin tried justifying.

Virol started shaking, his head downcast. Merlin edged away with a bit of trepidation. Maybe he made the wrong choice in choosing to make a back scratcher, it was made of precious metal that could have served a greater purpose.

"Merlin!" Virol roared.

"Y-yes sir?" Merlin squeaked out.

"I take you on as my apprentice! I had no idea that you knew magic. The flame spell was a pretty simple one but not many people know about it or can cast it. _Forbearnan _is the simplest spell to light a small fire as long as there is material to burn. Spells with no material source is harder to cast and maintain." Virol handed the back scratcher to merlin who took it reverently, staring at Virol in awe.

"So that means that your swords are forged using..."

"That's right, Kanshou and Bakuya were forged with magic. The metal I gave you was Wizard's Iron and it won't melt unless heated with magical flames. The metal is a lot more resistant to wear compared to normal iron. With the proper smelting techniques and magic, we can actually refine it to a purer state. Wizard's Steel."

Virol's lecture opened so many possibility and ideas for weapons and forging. "Does this mean that the swords can actually be imbued with certain spells and powers?"

Virol nodded gravely, there were indeed weapons of such legends. Swords that could split mountains and shields that healed the wielder. Such items were said to be forged by the old gods and took magic to operate.

"Legend says that in the Gate of Babylon, weapons of immense powers are sealed away. Most of the weapons we make are rather mundane. Kanshou and Bakuya for all of their craftsmanship is mostly ornamental. I did not imbue it with any special property beside the inherent ability to kill magic creatures."

Merlin's breath hitched, "Can it kill a dragon?"

"No, Dragons are pretty much on the top of the food chain when it comes to magical and physical defense. You would need a high level B+ Weapon in order to slay a dragon. Kanshou and bakuya are mid-C class weapons, capable of slaying other mundane magical creatures."

Virol withdrew two books from his blacksmith apron. "These two books can explain a lot about basic information you should know. The first one is an encyclopedia of the various monsters sighted throughout the times and what is know of them. The second one is about using magic in conjecture with blacksmithing. There are only a few basic spells in there but I expect you to start trying to use them."

Merlin leafed through the books reverently. Never would he have been able to read such text back in Elador, he was truly thankful for his mother for sending him here.

"Welcome to a whole new side of magic Merlin. I will teach you everything I know and push you to the highest limit possible. One day you will even surpass me but I will be here to support and guide you." Virol promised.

Merlin was so touched, his throat closing up on him with the swell of emotion. The promise was so strong, Merlin couldn't help but give one in return.

"Thank you. I will do my best to fulfill yours and your master's hope. That I promise."

And it was a promise that was fulfilled.

* * *

><p>AN: And we have more about the magical aspect of smithing! I can't wait until Merlin starts working with blades and rare materials. I also think it's time to introduce some more OC and develop on Vivian. Three guesses as to who is the Lady of the Lake.

You can see it right? MERLIN FORGING THE EXCALIBUR!

Like usual, read review discuss!

Actually if everyone gave me a review I would be happy. You don't even need to log in to do so.


	5. Halcyon Days Pt2

Emrys: Magic Unleashed

A/N: Thank you for all your continued support. Please review to drop a question for a shoutout.

15 reviews 1500 views 10 favorites and 21 alerts. Thank you all for your support!

Chapter 4: Halcyon Days Part 2

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><p>Merlin had settled at a comfortable routine at the capital. His recent status jump to Virol's apprentice had the palace gossiping for a bit but that too died down. Now Merlin was eagerly putting all of his energy into his metal work, right now he was still working with small items, horseshoes, plows, pitchforks, and small metal figurines. It was mind numbing repetitive labor but there was one bright side to it. Virol allowed him to practice the new spells he learned in the book. Of course, Virol only allowed him to view and practice the most basic of spells.<p>

Merlin had the basic fire spell down perfectly. He would periodically force himself to master the spell to new heights. With the incantation, the spell had a stronger effect rather than a wordless incantation would. Now he was starting to experiment with the limitations of the spell. Creating a flame is simple but extinguishing the flame is not. He had to unravel the tangles of magic threads that structured the spell before the spell would unravel.

The other option would be to forcefully implode the spell structure with his own magic, making the original spell malfunction. The more complex the spell or enchantment, the more threads and perplexing the spell is to unravel.

Merlin undid the threaded knot of his armband, his eyes turning blue as he did. Glaring at the forge, the fire flickered out of existence. With one more sharp focused burst, magically generated flames burst into being in a bright ball of fire. He tied the band back on his wrist and resumed pounding out the horseshoe he was tasked to make.

Merlin was glad to see the limits of the experimentation. At the moment, he could generate the spell without an incantation with enough power to rival and even surpass the original spell. Also the time for the flame to be conjured was shorter. Practice really did make perfect he mused as he finished the horseshoe and starting working on the next.

The door opened and Virol walked in and deposited a list on the table. "Merlin, it looks like you're almost finished. After your order is done, deliver it to the stables accordingly. You can head to the kitchen afterwards for lunch break.

Merln wiped the sweat off his forehead and gave Virol a grateful smile. "Thank the lord. If I had to make one more horseshoe today, I think I would have eaten one." Virol laughed at Merlin's attempt at humor. "You do that then, just explain to the horse with three shoes where his last one went."

Merlin feigned shock, "Why I'm certain that the horse will understand. I was hungry!"

"Then you better finish your delivery. After lunch, we can work on the smaller blades like cutlery, throwing knives, and daggers. I will show you how to work with ordinary iron first and then the process of refining it to steel. Later after a year or two, if you show great promise, I can show you how to use Wizard's Iron and magical forging."

Merlin gave Virol a hug, or at least tried to. Damn Virol had a big girth. "Oh thank you, thank you Virol. You're the best. I'll get these delivered in a jiffy."

Merlin bounded away with a skip to his step, even while ladened with heavy boxes of metal.

Virol grinned, "That kid has potential"

xXxXxXxXx

"Hi Merlin."

Merlin glanced up from his disturbed meal. A pair of emerald green eyes peered into his own.

"Mwhat do ya whant?" Merlin mumbled grouchily through half a loaf of bread. Every time he came to the kitchen, Vivian always sat across from him and pestered him with little requests and small talk.

"Ohhh, I was just seeing if you enjoyed the stew I made today. I know you like stew." Vivian blushed when Merlin gave her a truly delightful and bright smile. His green eyes lit up in joy when he discovered who prepared his meal.

"You made this?" She nodded shyly. "It is great, it reminds me a lot of my mum's recipe. It must be the spices. I'm from Elador, are you from that region?" he inquired with interest.

She shook her head in negative. "I have been living in the capital all twelve years of my life. My mother was from Elador but she passed two years ago. Now it's just me and father although he is away a lot." She smiled bravely, "Actually I haven't seen him for a long time, his job keeps him busy so I decided to stay here as an apprentice to the cook."

"That's great, you need to show me your talent sometimes. I would invite you over to the Forge but it's right next to the dungeon and it's all hot in there." Merlin said apologetically.

She gave him a hasty smile, 'Actually I would love to see you work. I don't mind the dungeon, I never been down there before."

"Oh." Merlin had limited experience with women but were girls suppose to hate being sweaty and seeing blood? Sometimes the tools that the interrogation squad borrow end being returned with blood on them.

Uncertain, Merlin gave her a nonchalant shrug. "I guess if you have some time off from the kitchen, you can come watch me try and learn how to make blades, Virol is showing me how to make forge some cutlery and knives this afternoon."

Vivian could not deny that she held some measure of attraction to the tall youth. She liked how his eyes sparkled playfully and marveled at how long his limbs were. It was hard to believe they were the same age. At this point, she was content on getting to know him better as a friend. Maybe it might develop into something more but time would tell.

She scooped up a few worn down knives and trotted after him to the smithery. Merlin casted a amused glance back at Vivian who struggled in her flight down the stairs with her long dress. Vivian really shouldn't let her curiosity dictate her actions.

The interrogation chambers were usually used to extract informations from spies which is a rare occurrence but it appears that one of the spies expired during a rather heavy questioning. They were dragging the body out through the hall just as he and Vivian reached the bottom of the stairs.

"W-What are you doing?" Vivian squeaked out in trepidation as Merlin used his larger frame to pin her to the wall, his tall lanky body blocking her from moving, and his arms obscuring her view.

Merlin shushed Vivian soothingly, "They are moving a body right now and I don't think you want to see this," he whispered down at her.

Vivian nodded and tried not to lean forward and inhale Merlin's scent. After a morning of working the forge, Merlin had worked up quite a sweat. He had a raw and primal scent to him that appealed to Vivian's senses.

_"Oh my God. I must be some sort of pervert. How can I think that Merlin's sweat smells so good. It makes me want to rip his clothes off and lick off that salty goodness." _

Merlin was not aware of the effect he was having on her. Vivian had to reign in her wild fantasy and the heated thoughts racing through her prepubescent head.

Once the body was out of sight, Merlin released Vivian from the pseudo-prison. Vivian immediately made a rushed dash up the stairs, away from the source of her less than innocent thoughts.

"I'm sorry Merlin, I'll see you at lunch tomorrow, there was something I forgot to take care of in the kitchens." She squeaked before taking off and clearing the stairs two steps at a time.

Merlin scratched his head in confusion. Apparently Vivian wasn't as prepared as he thought. Weird kitchen girl aside, Virol was still expecting him in the forge, today he would finally have a chance to work with a blade!

xXxXxXxXxXx

Virol had a few drawings of the the various hunting knives, daggers, and cutlery spread out on the table. Virol had a routine, he would ask Merlin a question and then correct him. As normal, Virol started off first.

"Do you know what is most important when it comes to working with working with a blade?"

The young apprentice brainstormed for a bit. "I would assume that the purpose of the blade is to cut, so the main focus would be the edge."

Virol nodded approvingly. "That is true in a sense but once the blade dulls, it can be re-sharpened. However, most important aspect of a blade is safety."

"How is safety relevant?" Merlin honestly couldn't see why safety was important if the blade was meant to cut.

"Different blades have different designs. Some blades are designed to have a handle, others are just blades which must be secured with a separate piece. Each blade has a soul, it depends on how much effort the blade smith puts into the creation. There are also methods and rituals to bind your sword to your blood and magic. Those rituals are costly and seldom done because there is no retail value."

The prospect of owning a unique sword which no one else could use was luring. Merlin couldn't suppress the boyish fascination that bubbled from within. "So where do we start?"

The grizzly master pointed toward a pile of iron ore. "From the beginning. I'm am going to teach you the secret of the steel. This method of refinement will work for any sort of metal and do so by bringing out the highest purity of the material. This is one of the secrets that cost my master his life so do not tell anyone else about this method! I do not expect you to use this technique for regular metal work but it is necessary when forging your own blade or one of superior quality."

Merlin was no fool, he understood that such trust was to be the basis between the master and disciple. Without any hesitation, Merlin accepted his master's terms and started learning. The secret of the Steel was just the beginning.

xXxXxXxXx

A few weeks have passed since Merlin learned the Secret of the Steel. His skills grew by leaps and bounds when it came to metal work, he can now judge the purity and composition of metal just be seeing and feeling it. However, he was far from mastering the secret refinement method when he was pulled from his work by Virol.

Virol was in his workshop examining several blades he recently finished forging when Merlin entered. The blades were sharp, exceedingly so as Virol's thumb bled with the slightest applied pressure on the edge of the blade. Virol tossed it to Merlin who caught it by the handle.

Merlin's was curious as to why he was given the sword. "Do you need this delivered master?"

Virol picked up a second blade and tossed it to Merlin who caught it with his free hand. With two blades in his hands, Merlin looked at Virol in confusion.

"I want you to tell me which sword is the better sword."

Merlin examined both swords, breaking them down to the slightest details. Such test and exercises weren't uncommon, Virol had been asking him to distinguish between similar items to see which one had better metal work. The initial examination of the blades showed that they were both identical in design, a double edged sword about three feet in blade, connected to the handle as a singular guard. The purity of the metal was the same showing that both were made with equal skill. It was a standard Knight sword, better than your everyday sword but not enough to be called great.

"There's no difference between them." Merlin concluded.

Virol snorted. "Wrong. You're examining it with your eye, that method might work with regular items but not when it comes to swords. I want you to do one thousands swings with both swords and then tell me."

"O-one t-thousand each!" Merlin squawked in surprise. Normally when he failed the little test, he would have to perform a set of task as punishment but they were always small punishments like working on his basic smelting techniques and such.

Virol grunted in annoyance. "I said a thousand each, I want you to do it properly, If I find you slacking, you are expelled as my apprentice!"

Virol lead him next door to the fuel room where cords of wood were stacked up and tied together. "I want you to chop these up into proper burning size. I won't let you out until it's all done." Virol shut the door, the locks and bolts sliding in place.

Merlin looked at the mountain of fire wood and sighed, it was going to be a long night.

xXxXxXxXxXx

The next day, Virol entered the room and found Merlin still in the process of finishing the two thousand cuts. The boy's body was laden with sweat and Virol could see the fatigue that plagued Merlin. Merlin barely acknowledged Virol's entrance, instead opting to finishing up on the last fifty swings.

Virol said nothing but watched Merlin's form and efforts.

48...

49..

50!

"Finally!" Merlin gasped in relief, dropping the sword and sinking to his knees. Never had he done such arduous work. The sword weighed about eight pounds, nothing compared to the full size hammer he used for forge work which weigh more than twenty pounds but the number of swings was almost triple his daily workload with the hammer.

"I knew you could do it Merlin. One thing I like about you is your determination."

Merlin huffed weakly and grinned, "And here it was thinking it was my witty personality and sharp tongue."

Virol grinned, "So tell me. Did you discover the answer to the question I asked yesterday? If you get it wrong again, two thousand more swings."

Merlin blanched at the thought of repeating the thousand swings. He knew the answer to the question but he couldn't give an explanation as to why. he pointed to the sword on the right. "This sword is the better of the two..."

"And do you know why?" Virol questioned succintly.

Merlin struggled visibly to come up with words to describe why. "Well. It's just one of those things you can feel. I can't really explain it but after swinging each a thousand times, I can feel that the blade on the left felt off somehow and it wasn't cutting properly during certain swings."

Virol grinned. Merlin had discovered the flaw in the sword. It takes innate talent in order to do so.

"So what does swinging a sword have to do with blacksmiths? Immediately after asking the question, Virol's face tightened into a snarl.

"You idiot!"

Merlin winced, rarely did Virol go into lecture mode and if he did, it was because of something important.

"Did you think swords could be made through just hammering and bellowing? You can find the sharpness and the minute balance of the blade only through personally swinging the sword. I'm going to tell you this over and over again. You can only make true swords only by knowing how to see, how to use, and how to understand swords!"

Merlin gestured towards the swords. "Is that why you made me do all those sword swings?"

"Yes. I want you to be able to understand the sword. You must personally be able to know your sword to the last detail, the weight, the stability and sharpness. From now on, I want you to do a thousand swings everyday."

"That's impossible!" Merlin blurted out, stunned at the prospect of doing a thousand swings everyday.

"What you have been doing up to now is just a basis for your foundation with metal work. From now on, I will train you to be a blade smith. Your area of expertise will be sword creation and design. It will take a few years of normal blade forging before we can move up to magical blade creation. Until then, you must familiarize yourself with the sword which is why I signed you up for the tournament."

"Hold on for a moment. What tournament are you talking about master?" Merlin was getting increasingly nervous about the prospect of competing in any tournament. "Do you mean a sword contest to see who has the better blade?"

Virol looked at Merlin as if he had sprouted a second head. "No I am talking about the young men tournament in Camelot. Participants are ages 12-16 and the prize is two hundred gold pieces. I expect every young noble or sons of farmers to be there to participate for that gold. Of course I'm sending you there for the experience and if you can win, that two hundred gold pieces will go a long way in securing the materials you would need to make high quality swords."

Merlin's mouth went dry, "Please tell me there is a restriction against killing. How long do I have to prepare?"

Virol dismissed his concerns and resumed stacking up the cords of firewood Merlin had split. "You can't expect peasants to have armor can you? Death goes hand in hand with a sword. You're lucky you have me because one of the rules of the tournament is that personal armor and swords are allowed. The only ironclad rule is no sorcery or enchantments. Protective runes are allowable but nothing that would violate Uther's ban on magic. I expect you to work hard. The Tournament is in three weeks."

Merlin started sweating profusely, "Three weeks? That is impossible. Can I not go?"

Virol gave Merlin an evil glare. "I paid 3 gold upfront for the registration fee. You better haul your ass up there and at least try to win or I'm going to make that two thousand swings you did seem like nothing to the punishment I will give you."

Merlin fainted backwards onto the floor. "Oh bugger me, I'm screwed."

He had three weeks to prepare for a tournament in Camelot where blood thirsty young farmers and young nobles were vying for wealth, fame, and glory.

Merlin?

He just wanted to make it home in one piece... well some of the gold would be nice too.

* * *

><p>AN: Merlin learns more about swords and starts his foundation is using a sword! Merlin is heading to Camelot in three weeks! Who will he meet there? Will he meet Morgana? Will he meet Arthur? Will he get to see Balinor? How about Gaius?

Let me know what crazy ideas you can think off.

Personally I'd like some Gaius and Merlin Interaction.

Bromance with Arthur?

Some innocent love with Morgana?

Hehe Review please.

*Note: The next update will happen on either Saturday or Sunday. Bi-weekly updates. 5 reviews per chapter and 170+ views. Not bad. More plox


	6. Tournament Preparation

Emrys: Magic Unleashed

A/N: Thank you for all your continued support. Please review to drop a question for a shoutout.

20 reviews 2000 views 14 favorites and 25 alerts. Thank you all for your support!

Chapter 4: Tournament Preparation

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><p><em>"Oh I'm so screwed."<em>

_"Is Uther going to find out about my magic?"_

_"Will I somehow meet my father?"_

Those were the only thoughts Merlin had to focus on while he executed his daily regime of one thousand swings. The exercises proved to be more complicated to complete because he was the the middle of a growth spurt. He had already added two inches since he arrived at the capital and his long limbs felt unbalanced every time he swung the sword.

Merlin could not deny that the strenuous exercise did wonders to build his strength. Forge work was exactly what he needed to excel and keep his body busy. However, Merlin missed the joy of hunting.

Hunting required great skill in tracking, waiting, ambushing, and general use of weaponry such as with a bow and arrow or a spear.

Which is why Merlin decided to take some time to relieve some stress by hunting. He walked out of the capital gates to the outer area of the woods where there would be bigger game. Vivian had begged him to take her with him but he declined. The last thing he needed was for a young inexperience girl to scare off the game.

Merlin kept his supplies simple. He had a bundle of cord wrapped around his body to carry the carcass back and a few simple different knives and daggers for skinning and removing the organs. His main choice of weaponry was the long bow slung across his back and a spear used for thrusting and throwing.

It was far enough in the wild, he breathe in the damp scent of the forest air, noting a hint of musk. Broken branches and disturbed earth showed tracks for a deer, mid-age, heading east toward a small river.

Merlin followed the trail quietly, taking care not to make any sudden noises and keeping upwind from the deer.

It was near the river, looking around nervously, sniffing the air for any signs of predators. The deer had no idea that Merlin climbed up the tree to get a better vantage point to target the deer.

He took an arrow from his quiver, and notched it to the bow string. Silently, he flexed the string to test the tension, the last thing he wanted was a snapped bowstring lash to the face. It is the singular most painful infliction that he could remember.

Finally he took aim, the upper left chest area, the heart. It would be a one hit kill, the life snuffed out before it hit the ground. But before he could release the arrow, a dark blue creature swooped down from above on the deer, its greater size crushing the deer, ravaging it with it's oversize talons.

Unbridled fear coursed through Merlin. The legs and body of a lion, the wings and head of an eagle, it was a fucking Griffin! He recognize the unique description from the book of mythology Virol had given him.

The griffin are rarely seen, opting to stay in the mountainous nest areas, only coming down to hunt. They were the bane of hunters everywhere because as creatures of magic, they could only be killed by magic.

Later when Merlin retold the story, he omitted the fact that it was due to the shock and his stupidity that he ended up being chased by the griffin.

What happened was his hands were shaking so hard, the arrow slipped from his fingertips, already notched and ready to fire at the deer except the griffin was in it's place. The arrow traveled the short distance in the blink of an eye and shattered on the magically enhanced hide, the steel arrow head doing no damage, the wooden shaft splintered into useless pieces. It certainly got the griffin's attention.

Merlin cursed and jumped off the tree, landing in a desperate roll at the bottom, just in time to see the griffin flapping it's wings where he stood not a second ago. He was glad for his quick action because the feathers of the wings were razor sharp, cleaving through the thick branches he had been standing on like butter.

Merlin started running, taking off for the trees, hoping that the trees would provide him cover from the griffins flight capability.

That day, it was only due to dumb luck that Merlin survived. The griffin is capable of flying at great speeds and would have easily caught and mauled Merlin from above but instead, it was forced to bound forward, using it's hind legs, powerful like a lion's.

Even then he would have been caught and devoured by the speeding beast. Merlin did not know any fancy spells to imbue his weapons with magic. He only knew of a simple flame spell to generate magical fire and he had a hunting spear. The odds were against him in every way.

Merlin leaped over logs, glancing back to see the griffin gaining on him. Escape was inevitable.

He snapped off his magical seal, his eyes turning blue as he did. He had to make a last stand. He pulled out the spear, bracing himself for the impact as the griffin was but five feet from him.

His eyes glowed gold as he put all his magical energy into one last act of desperation. Magical etheral blue flames wrapped around his spear, convoluting on the point, making the metal grow white hot.

With a savage roar, he pierced the lance forward, thrusting it into the griffin's chest. He felt it's passage instantly, the magical signature snuffed like a dead flame. Even though dead, the physical body had momentum and mass, he would be crushed to a pulp if he couldn't stop it.

He braced the weapon, praying and willing the wooden shaft to not break, and gathered all the strength he possessed to lift the carcass up and throw it over his head where it landed behind him in a smoking heap.

Merlin collapsed on the forest floor, thanking every god and deity for his survival. Twilight was setting in when he summoned up the strength to walk back to the castle to find Virol.

Virol happened working on working on Merlin's armor for the tournament when Merlin found him. He had dirt smudged all over his face and he looked drained.

"What happened?"

Merlin slumped against the doorframe. "I almost got eaten by a griffin out in the forest. I got lucky and killed it."

Virol's jaw dropped and so did the hammer he was holding. Virol ignored the pressure of the hammer on his steel plated boots and walked over to Merlin, shaking him by the shoulders.

"Where is the griffin? Is the body still there? How big was it? Don't tell me it was a baby griffin. Are you sure it wasn't an ugly horse you saw?"

Merln gave Virol an annoyed frowned. "I just noticed that not one of those question asked me about my well-being."

Virol snorted. "Do you know how rare it is to find magical creatures around here? We can use parts of it's body to create weapon and armor!"

This grabbed Merlin's attention. "It's still out by the forest, I covered it with some fallen leaves and a burlap sack."

Virol ran to the back and grabbed his kit, it had magically forged daggers and equipment design specifically to cut into magical creatures. "Hurry along, we want to get to the body before anyone else"

Merlin groaned and followed Virol to show him the way.

xXxXxXxXxXx

Virol held up the feather to the light, looking at it in awe. "Giffrin feathers." He brushed the edge of the feather down along a cloth, showing the razor sharp edge, which had no trouble cutting through the cloth and leaving a deep gouge into the wooden tabletop.

Merlin picked up the deceptively sharp but light feather and test the edge, it was sharper than most blades. He was glad the griffin never had a chance to use it upon his body.

Virol started listing all the things they could do with the parts salvaged from the body.

"Griffins are attuned to the air, its feathers are a great medium for wind magic and enchantments. We can create fans from the feathers, razor sharp and capable of amplifying and channeling wind magic through them, the best part is that it's light and won't raise suspicions when being searched for weapons."

Merlin looked stunned, he had no idea that such things were possible. Truly Virol was a great source of knowledge.

Virol spread open the pelt. "The hide of the griffin is lightweight and once properly tanned and cured into leather, it will be capable of stopping any blade not designed to cut through magical pelt. The only downside is it doesn't protect from blunt impact. So try to avoid andy battle axes or hammers."

Merlin could already imagine himself with the leather griffin vest along with leather armguards and leg gaurds.

"However, the best and most sought after part of the griffin are these/" Virol finished with a touch of reverence as he pulled out a jar containing the eyes of the griffin.

Merlin turned green and backed away from the yellow eyes that peered back at him, floating in the jar.

"What do you need the eyes for, it's disturbing!"

Virol cuffed Merlin over the head. "Any Blacksmith worth their salt would trade their best blade for an eye of an griffin!"

Merlin looked at Kanshou and Bakuya and back at the eyes skeptically. "What is so special about the eyes?"

Virol held up the eyes, "The eyes hold great powers. The griffin has a head of an eagle but the eyes are stronger than any normal eagle. It can see a vast distance with startling clarity and detail. It also can see the magical signature of things."

Merlin nodded but he still couldn't see the point.

Virol continued on. "Properly prepared, an infusion of Griffin eye in a special potion can transfer some of it's great powers to the drinker. It will grant the drinker a permanent change in eyesight. They can tell upon a glance whether an item is magical or not. They can view a great distance, even in the dark. But the reason it is so coveted by blacksmith is because with the enhanced vision, they can see the details of their blade and take note of any flaws in their work. They do not have to worry making a mistake with any of the runes. However, not every blacksmith can take this potion. The ability needs to be activated and maintained with magic. Not everyone can activate the enhanced sight and maintain it. However, for the select few blacksmiths, they only need a few seconds to examine their work. It's the perfect ability for blade smith's like me."

Even Merlin was stunned by the magnitude of abilities the eyes granted. He had no idea it was possible to take in the natural abilities of the creature by ingesting certain parts of it.

Virol walked over to the heavy anvil and lifted it to the side with great effort. Beneath the anvil was a false bottom, he opened it and pulled out a huge time. Thick chains wrapped tightly around the book, a master level lock protecting the inner contents from being viewed by the wrong party.

"This is the tome that my master left me. It has all of his life work in regards to blade creation and anything revelant."

Virol flipped through the pages to a passage he had highlighted. "The transference potion."

Virol cursed, "These ingredients are almost impossible to find on your own. Professional hunters and gathers would charge and arm and leg for some of these ingredients."

Merlin looked at the list of items, none of which he saw before. "How much would this cost?"

Virol grimaced, "About two hundred gold pieces total." He turned to Merlin with a sadistic gaze. "Time for some personal training for the tournament, You better win."

Merlin whimpered, suddenly the idea of having the eagle eye didn't sound so appealing.

xXxXxXxXxX

"No! You're doing this all wrong! You are wasting your strength with that movement. You need to gather the energy, from the tip of your toes traveling all the way to the tip of your fingers, into the tip of your blade!" Virol put the glowing blade on the anvil. "Do it again!" he commanded.

Merlin panted and lifts the hammer over his head in a double-edged grip. He gathered his inner strength, tightening the core of his muscles, flexing it from his back to shoulders, swinging it down to smash into the flat of the blade.

Virol yelled with excitement. "Yes, that was a perfect transference of power from the body through the hammer to the blade! Do it again, try to feel and remember the flow of power."

Merlin grunted in compliance and did it again, slamming the hammer down. Virol cackled with glee. "Do this a thousand times each days for a wewk, then we will try this with a blade."

Merlin didn't care who was looking at the moment; he started crying at the harshness of the training.

Virol sighed, they didn't make apprentices like they used to.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

A week later, Merlin found himself trying to complete another seemingly impossible task.

"Cut it!" Virol growled. "What are you waiting for? For it to fall apart itself?"

Merlin grit his teeth at the taunt. Virol is a harsh taskmaster. His current assignment is to cut through a leather-coated wooden shield. It was what most amateurs and farmers would use due to the low material cost. It was still a pretty decent shield.

Merlin hacked away at the shield but it held under the rain of blows.

"Focus! Feel the flow." Virol barked out from the side.

"I'm trying!" Merlin hollered back, annoyed by the pestering.

Virol threw an apple core at him. "Well you're not trying hard enough. Those two hundred gold pieces aren't going to fill our pockets on it's own. I want those eagle eyes so as my apprentice, you better do your part!"

Merlin glared at Virol, he knew his master was doing his best to teach him various skills and to help him improve but sometimes he felt like he was being used as a labor animal.

Merlin threw the sword up in the air a few times, shifting it from hand to hand. Theoretically, every sword was suppose to have a sweet spot, a spot where it the maximum amount for fore could be applied. As long as he could locate the spot and strike, flowing his strength into the blade, it would provide maximum impact.

He had already found the flow for the hammer, now he just needed to match it with a sword.

"Hyyraah!" He yelled as he brought his blade down, cleaving the shield into two pieces.

Virol's apple dropped from his open mouth. "That brat actually did it."

Merlin cheered and kicked the broken leather shield around. He was finally done!

"Not so fast Merlin, you already had the technique down with the hammer, you were merely substituting it and applying it to a sword. Now that we have close range weaponry learned, it's time for mid/long range.

Virol pulled out four daggers, held between his fingers. "Say hello to my little friends."

"By the lord, will this ever stop?" He exclaimed in anguish.

Virol cackled eagerly, "Never! You must know the weapon in order to fight against it and with it. This time I'm going to teach you how to throw and avoid daggers. You might want to find a shield. The first lesson is to avoid the dagger."

He flung the first dagger though the air, the blade impacting deep into the half leather shield Merlin brought up just in time. Merlin look at the dagger incredulously. It was imbedded at least two inches in. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"Of course not Merlin, I'm only looking out in your best interest. The most that will happen is a few flesh wounds. Don't cry like a sissy now. What blade smith would you be if you're scared of a tiny little dagger?"

Merlin jumped over the dagger aimed at his leg. "Well I am! I'm still an apprentice!"

Virol shrugged. "Well, you better learn fast then."

One week of hell before the tournament/

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><p>AN: Merlin now truly has a purpose to try and win the tournament.

THe griffin was an intro into the possibility of magical creatures being used to create weapons and armor. I just introduced the idea of magical powers and abilities unique to certain creatures.

Merlin will at a later point need to hunt for rare materials for his blades later on. He killed the griffin through sheer luck and adrenaline. He is still a 12, almost 13 year old teen just learning to use magic and metal work. It will be a few more years before he becomes accomplished.

I hope the development isn't going to quickly.


	7. The Road to Camelot

Emrys: Magic Unleashed

A/N: Thank you for all your continued support. Please review to drop a question for a shoutout.

24 reviews 2950 views 19 favorites and 31 alerts and 1 C2. Thank you all for your support!

Chapter 5: The Road to Camelot

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><p>It was a sweltering day, the midday sun hung overhead like a giant sponge, soaking up all the moisture in the air. Virol had sent Merlin off on his journey with a sword on his belt, a shield on his arm, a fan in his pocket, and a rug sack to his back, and told him to walk all the way to Camelot. If he made good distance, he would be there in three days.<p>

It wasn't that bad.

Oh who was he kidding! It was the first day and already his feet were aching. The tournament had officially started but the first three days were for the riff-raffs who couldn't afford to pay the three gold pieces. They had the option to pay a smaller fee but risk their chances with the preliminary elimination fight. That meant all of the young farmers and peasants would duke it out until the wheat is separated from the chaff.

Money did make living easier. The contestants that could not afford to pay three gold had to compete for three days to advance and keep their place while those who paid had an advantage of less competition and more stamina.

Merlin pointed out that the stamina was debatable on his end but Virol merely gave him a shrug and told him to suck it up. "Three days of travel is nothing. Right now I'm breaking you in for the future when you will have to track creatures for a week or longer without sleep."

Merlin took off his boots with a content sigh, dipping his feet into the cool river water. He snapped open the fan, made from the griffin feathers and started a small breeze to cool off.

Merlin was so engrossed in the comfort of the breeze, he failed to notice that he was not the only one at the river's edge.

"Oh lords have mercy. Why are you so inconsiderate to those who drink from the river? I just drank some cool sparkling fresh water from the river and said 'this is the best water I ever had' and then I look up and see your feet flavoring the water!"

Merlin hastily withdrew the guilty appendages and bowed in apology to the lanky haired teen slightly downstream from his position. "I apologize my friend. I can only assume that the river water is made fresher from all the tired feet put in prior to mine." Merlin extended his hand forward for a greeting. "I am Merlin."

The lanky hair youth grinned at Merlin's joke. "I'm Gwaine. True, I don't know how many more feet have been dipped in the river upstream prior to yours but the water is damn fresh!"

Merlin shared a laugh with Gwaine. The stranger appeared to be slightly older than he was, fifteen or sixteen of age. He had a chainmail vest on and equipped with two swords. Gwaine noticed Merlin's interest in his two swords and answered his unspoken question.

"I fight best with two swords, I can use one for shielding and one for offense, if the situation calls for it, I can use both blades at once to attack."

"Fascinating", Merlin murmured. It had never occurred to him that dual swordplay was possible. The standard fighting requires a weapon in one hand and a shield in the other. "Is it possible for me to examine the blade? I'm an apprentice blacksmith, I may not be able to forge a blade yet but my master has me examining his work for flaws."

Without any hesitation, Gwaine handed over his blades. "Of course my friend, let me know if these blades are worth the metal it's forged from."

Merlin examined the blades, it was made of folded iron, the blade sharp but weaker than steel. It was more or an ornamental sword. "It is sharp and was made from folded iron. It is weaker than steel but as a result, lighter and sharper. The design is simple but elegant. These practical blades that will last you a while with proper care."

Gwaine clapped his hands, impressed with Merlin's diagnosis. "It is as you say. I had the blacksmith make these swords for me with my fighting style in mind. I fight fast, sharp, and unpredictable. I can't be wielding a heavy broadsword, stuck on my feet with that heavy slab of metal."

Merlin handed the blades back with an easy smile, "Are you by any chance participating in the tournament in Camelot?"

Gwaine nodded, "You appear to be a competitor yourself. That's some fine equipment you got there." Merlin smiled proudly, "The shield and sword was made by my master, It's as high quality as equipment goes with the material he had."

They chatted for a few more moments, getting to know each other better before they decided to continue the journey.

And thus, Merlin found a companion for his trip to Camelot.

xXxXxXxXxXx

Merlin and Gwaine were chatting about various topics: girls, food, and politics, when the topic of magic came up.

"So what do you think about Uther's ban on magic?" Merlin asked Gwaine as they continued their journey through the leafy forest. Gwaine was pleasant and easygoing as a person, he was friendly and a great guy, it would be interesting to find out his view on magic.

Gwaine gave Merlin a shrug. "The man is an idiot."

Disbelief colored Merlin's vision. "Idiot? He rules Camelot with an iron fist! Sure, his methods might be extreme but you cannot deny that Camelot has the strongest army and the most prosperous trade!"

Gwaine countered by pointing out a few things Merlin failed to take into account. "Uther is an idiot because of his irrational fear of magic. He bans all forms of enchantment that causes harm to other. This means any sort of combat sorcery is prohibited, even to his own knights! He allows sorcery to be used for scrying, medicinal purposes, and defensive purposes but never for combat. In fact, the only sentence he has is death! If he had permitted the usage of battle magic, Camelot would have ruled Albion by now."

"Magic shouldn't be used to hurt people." Merlin said quietly. "Magic should only be used to help people."

Gwaine stopped in his tracks and turned to confront Merlin. "There is no good or bad, just power. You have to understand that aside from humans, there are creatures and monsters out there that cannot be slain with mortal weapons. There are whispers of magical forces threatening our realm, the human realm and we do not have the means to fight back. I'm just waiting for Uther to kick the bucket and wait for the sorcerers to reveal themselves."

Merlin wanted to protest but he could not bring himself to argue against Gwaine's reasoning. The incident with the Griffin had proven that magic was necessary. The power itself cannot be classified as good or bad, it is defined by its wielder.

"You know, for someone so laidback, you bring up wise thoughts."

Gwaine smirked at the compliment. "Story of my life. People always see what they want to see on the surface, I'm deeper than you think."

Merlin shoved Gwaine playfully, "Save that line for the ladies, I'm not interested." Then he ran ahead, laughing the entire way.

Gwaine was indignant, "I'm not attracted to you!"

"Keep telling yourself that!" Merlin teased , Gwaine running to keep up.

xXxXxXxXxXxXx

Gwaine jerked up, ready to yell until Merlin whispered to him. "Shhh. Don't make a noise. I think bandits are surrounding us. Nod if you have your sword with you."

Gwaine nodded, he had no idea how Merlin knew about the bandits' approach until he caught sight of his companion's eyes. Merlin continued glancing around, his eyes glowing slightly in the dark. Merlin had reflected on Gwaine's idea before about combat magic and there were spells that he did want to try out. Beside, this was to protect his life. He turned and address Gwaine, his eyes pleading empathy. "I'm going to light a fire, don't be surprised by my magic. Just focus on staying alive, there's about fifteen of them and two of us. Let's try not to die shall we?"

If he was surprised at the mention of magic, Gwaine didn't show any signs. Merlin undid his leather band, readying himself to utilize all of his gifts. Silently, he incanted the spell in his mind, willing the bright flame to burn the already extinguished campfire remains.

The flame roared into existence, almost as a solid pillar, lighting up the campsite for a good fifty feet, before dying down in intensity. It provided enough light for Merlin to make the first move, throwing five daggers in the air, looping unnaturally and sinking unerringly into the bandits' neck. They dropped to the ground, the crimson fluid jettisoning from their neck, creating bloody pools in the forest earth.

Gwaine had no time to be shocked by the level of lethality and precision of Merlin's kills. He had his own problem to worry about, namely the five bandits rushing at him with their swords drawn, eyes mad with rage and greed. He lashed out with both swords, fluidly slicing across unprotected torsos and deflecting their blades in a sweeping dance-like display of swordplay.

The remaining bandits were positioned in the tree branches where they fire crossbows from above. Merlin looked up, grabbing a hold of the arrows that were a few inches from his face. Despite having the natural advantage, it was a very close call for Merlin. He had never been more grateful than now to posses his gifts.

His eyes flashed gold as he stopped Gwaine from being used as target practice, the arrows dropping to the floor with it's momentum lost. Gwaine shot him a grateful look before resuming the fray.

By then, the bandits have been reduced to 1/3 of it's original attacking party. The rest gave up and ran for it, leaving Gwaine cursing at their retreating backs. Gwaine looked over to Merlin with exhaustion and gratitude, "Thanks for the save, I was about to be turned into a pincushion there."

Merlin gave Gwaine a cursory smile but his concerns remained, the bandits have seen him using magic. He did not want news to spread of his abilities, the last thing he wanted were rumors to reach Camelot where his magic would have him killed. He didn't want to kill them but he had to cover up all loose ends.

The fleeing bandits were still in his line of sight. He unstrapped his Griffin Feather Fan and spread it open, the razor sharp edge of the fan glinting in the moonlight.

**_Færblæd!_**

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><p>Spell Translation<p>

_Færblæd!- Void Wind_

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><p>The wind spell did it's job perfectly, channeling it's power through the Fan, the Griffin Feathers elemental nature amplifying the spells effect. Now it cut along the wind, decreasing wind resistance while increasing it's cutting capabilities. Cool tendrils of blue wind wrapped around the fan, it's beautiful appearance camouflaging it's deadliness.<p>

Merlin threw the fan out, spiraling like a grey circlet of death. His eyes directed it's flight path, similar to the daggers he had thrown earlier. It require so little energy to direct the projectile, his eyes retained it's normal blue hue. Gwaine watched in mute amazement and trepidation as the fan weaved between trees as if possessing a mind of it's own. It dispatched the bandits with cold precision, barely any resistance as the bandits were decapitated from behind.

The fan spun back to Merlin, blood already gone from the edge, and he pocketed the now ordinary looking fan. He snapped his armband back on, the vivid green hue was back in his eye.

Gwaine and Merlin shared a look of awkward silence.

"So... I'm glad they banned battle magic in the tournament. Wanna hit the bar?" Gwaine asked in a nonchalant matter, as if the display of magic didn't seem extraordinary.

Merlin casted an amused look. "I'm a bit to young to be at the bar." He turned and looked at the bodies, glassy eyed, the thick stench of blood in the air. "Hold that thought." Merlin walked behind a tree, grimaced and vomited out the contents of his stomach.

His haggard voice carried out weakly behind the tree, "Actually, I think I might take you up on that offer."

Gwaine couldn't help but roar in laughter. Merlin was still young, never killed, never drank. A sinister smile pulled at his lips. It was time to change that tonight, he is going to show Merlin how things worked with adults. Old enough to kill, old enough to drink.

Hopefully, Merlin would turn out... semi-normal after his corruption.

He cackled at the devious plots growing inside his head while Merlin stared at him.

It was quite an eventful trip for the both of them.

One more day until Camelot.

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><p>AN: COMBAT MAGIC! GO MERLIN!

People might be a bit stunned by Merlin's lethalness and his ease with using magic to kill but merlin has killed before in the Tv Series. In this case, he is definitely more influenced by his upbringing as a hunter and his Dragon Lord heritage. Please note that I did show that he snapped a deer's neck with his bare hands.

Also, Merlin is more of a long range fighter as most sorcerers are. Some spells require incantations and concentration that cannot be performed while engaging in combat. His daggers and fan are perfect examples of his preferred method of attack.

Now Gwaine is in the story! He is a lot younger than in the series, by four or five years, but still the same mischievous and laid back Gwaine. He is very loyal to his friends, having considered Merlin as one already and Merlin trusting him with his secret.

R.R.R.W.

Review, Rant, Rave, Worship.

Enjoy today's episode of Merlin! I'll update in a few days, The tournament has me all excited!


	8. The Night Before the TournamentPt1

Emrys: Magic Unleashed

A/N: A very surprising update in this chapter! I am thankful for all the support thus far but I do not own Merlin. That would be BBC channel and it's production. I can only make due with my pixel creation of Merlin in my story, at least mine can use a sword. Take that!

On a serious note, the reason for the delay in this release is because of sickness. Yes, it is the flu season. Everyone please get your flu shots and stay away from coughing people. Some dude coughed over me on the bus and ... yeah. No amount of soap is going to save me from that.

Now enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 7: The Night Before the Tournament...WTF HAPPENED? Pt. 1

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><p>Let it be said that Merlin had only ever been drunk once in his life. He attributed the incident to the fallacy of youth and the poison tongue of Gwaine who had somehow convinced him to let loose before the final day before the tournament in Camelot. It was a big blur at first but after backtracking and picking at his brains, Merlin sworn off drinking for the rest of his life. That and any form of psychedelic shrooms.<p>

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><p><em>Current Day<em>

Merlin stood in front of the girl protectively, shielding her from Gwaine's appreciative gaze. "Back off." Merlin warned impatiently. His patience with Gwaine was all used up. He had just spent the entire day trying to understand what happened after he downed his fourth mug of ale. When he awoken this morning, he was next to a startling pretty if not beautiful young girl. She was scruffily dressed but there was no denying her natural beauty with the ebony dark hair and pale alabaster skin. She was a tad bit young though.

It turned out that the current situation was entirely Gwaine's fault!

Lancelot hated to watch his new friends bicker, he cut in with a civil tone. "Perhaps Merlin, we can give Gwaine a little leeway."

Merlin spun on the balls of his heel and hissed at Lancelot. "No! This is entirely Gwaine's fault! He drugged me!"

Gwaine whined pitifully from the side. "Lies! Those shrooms were for recreational purposes! I told you to inhale the spores! Not eat the entire damn thing and then some more! And just so you know, it's only a temporary memory loss! You should be having recollections of what happened in a few days time."

"Not helping Gwaine. This is kind of a need-to-know-now situation!" Merlin hissed through clenched teeth as he tried to ignore the girl nuzzling up against this back.

Arthur who had been nursing his headache glared at the rest of the group. "Who the hell are you people? I went into the tavern for an ale to relax my nerves and the next thing I know, I wake up with a crown on my head! It's real gold too!"

Merlin looked sheepish, "Actually, I suppose the first part was my fault. I dumped the entire bag of shrooms into the ale barrel. In my defense, I was higher than a kite at that point."

Arthur gave Merlin a incredulous stare. "Are you an idiot?"

Merlin threw his hands up exasperated. "Let's just all ask Lancelot. I mean for lords sake, I woke up with a young girl calling me 'Master Merlin'! I, for one, would like to know how in the world did I end up a ...'servant'?"

Everyone turned to Lancelot who was the only one who stayed fairly sober throughout the entire ordeal.

Lancelot let out a sigh. "I suppose I could start my story last night when I met Merlin and Gwaine at the tavern."

_10 hours prior_

"This round is on me everyone! Free Drinks for all!" Drunken cheering filled the tavern and Lancelot looked over to the front where two young men were dancing on the table. They were toasting each other, downing tankards of ale. Camelot is really different than he expected, out closer to the border region of Camelot, men would kill for a mug of ale. Here, people were buying strangers free drinks on a whim.

Lancelot nursed his cold tankard of ale with a weary heart. Today had been the third day of the fight in the tournament. As a son of a farmer, this is the event that he must attend. The chance of taking home 200 gold pieces was too great to pass. The issue of money aside, he wanted the fame and recognition the tournament would provide.

He had never denied that his dream, ever since he was a child, was to be a knight of Camelot. He had seen the shining armor, their gleaming swords, their crimson capes, and their overwhelming bravery. The Knights of Camelot were the best of the best and he wanted to be one of them. However, he was a commoner, only the sons of Knights and nobles are allowed to become a Knight.

But a man can dream. To be recognized as a knight due to his skill, bravery, and chivalry.

His thoughts were interrupted when the dancing duo sat in front of him, a pitcher of ale in hand. The lanky hair youth with mischievous eyes and a matching smile gestured towards his tankard. "More ale for my fair fellow?" His companion, younger, dark short hair and possessing the most curious green eyes, nodded vigorously. "Have a free drink."

Lancelot respectfully declined much to the duo's chagrin. "I must keep my wits about me for the tournament tomorrow, but I thank you kindly for your grateful offer." The mischievous youth looked at his companion in shock. "Merlin, I have frequented bars for the better part of the last two years of my life and I have never seen anyone turn down a free drink."

Merlin shoved the lanky hair youth, "You have found your opposite! A toast! To the true gentleman." He turned to Lancelot and whispered in a mocking low tone, "Gwaine over here is your opposite, he can never turn down a free drink, even when nursing a hangover." Gwaine cuffed Merlin's head, "I resent that! That has not happened!"

Merlin laughed and lifted his mug up for a toast, "We will see tomorrow morning when I offer you some then. But for now, a toast for our meeting with this fair gentleman..." his brows furrowed as he tried to recall the name, one which Lancelot hadn't supplied.

"My name is Lancelot. Nothing fancy, just a son of farmers, I'm not a noble or anything special."

Merlin lift his tankard up, "To Lancelot, a true and fair gentleman! To Gwaine, My incredibly drunk friend. To everyone's good health!" Lancelot and Gwaine lift their respective drinks and bumped glass with Merlin. It was a nice bonding moment, Gwaine cracking dirty jokes about the busty barmaid, Merlin having an arm wrestling match with Lancelot.

And then, the incident happened.

Gwaine glanced around surreptitiousness before pulling out a brown cloth bag. He pulled out a mushroom, or fungi, it was hard to say. It was speckled with bright colors and vivid dots. Gwaine held it under his nose and inhaled deeply, taking in the spores of the fungi. This did not pass by Merlin unnoticed.

"Whhatt is thaat you have there Gwaine?" Merlin swiped the bag from Gwaine's hand and peered in. "Oh Gwaine you sly devil. You have munchieess and you didn't care to shaare?"

Before Gwaine could protest, already tripped up on the mushroom, Merlin popped one into his mouth and chewed vigorously.

His eyes widened in surprise as the flavors assaulted his taste buds. "Dish is vunderful! Lanshalot, hav som'!"

Lancelot declined with a polite smile. "I'm fine Merlin, I had supper before this. You enjoy." Merlin did just that, helping himself to the bag of mushrooms while Gwaine looked on in muted horror.

"You were only suppose to inhale the spores..." he said weakly.

Merlin walked over to the counter and slapped down a gold coin, traveling expenses provide by Virol. "Gifve meeh a barrel of your finest ale!" He ordered, slurring his words with a lopsided grin. The barkeeper gave the inebriated youth a doubtful look, the youth already was stoned out of his mind with alcohol, but money was money and he wasn't stupid enough to refuse gold.

He swiped the gold coin from the counter and tested it between his teeth. Real Gold.

"Here, take your Ale. I don't think it's physically possible to finish it yourself either way." He rolled a barrel of ale from under the counter into Merlin's waiting hand. Merlin popped the top and emptied the bag of mushroom into the barrel. He replaced the wooden top and hefted it onto his shoulder with little effort.

'Free Ale!" He roared and everyone cheered in suit.

People soon milled around the table, helping themselves to the free drink. Merlin laughed and cheered, it made him feel good to share. For the moment, the alcohol and the bawdy singing blocked the memories of the brutal death of the bandits. While it was self-defense, he killed with such ease, he didn't want to dwell upon it.

Apparently, one of the mysterious property of the said mushroom was to counteract the effect of alcohol. Merlin and Gwaine were getting drunker and drunker yet staying sober as the time passed.

A while later, the door swung open, a handsome youth stepping into the festive tavern. He had blond hair, royal blue eyes, and his high cheekbones granting an aristocratic look. He would have been mistaken as a prince or someone of nobility if not for his plain traveling clothes. A simple white shirt and brown breeches, his leather boots faded from lengthy travel.

"Free Ale!" Merlin announced again, attracting the attention of the stranger.

Arthur made a beeline for the free ale, he would have preferred a nice warm glass of mead but in the summer heat, the ale was the more refreshing of the two, plus it was free. Merlin took the empty mug from the blond stranger and filled it with the ale. "This is for you my friend." Arthur received his gift with great gratitude. "Many thanks. I'm Arthur. And to who do I owe this gratitude?"

Merlin gave a mock salute, "Merlin at your service sire." Arthur almost dropped his glass, "W-What? Where? There's no prince here." He shifted nervously, he was under the strictest order not to reveal his true heritage, what gave it away?

Merlin burst out into a short bout of guffaws. "You look a bit like a prince, regal somehow. But really, I think you've been spoiled as a kid. You're not secretly a huge prat are you?"

It was very hard holding back the desire to clock the laughing youth over the head at the scare but Arthur somehow held back. Merlin did offer him free ale and besides, what he said might have a grain of truth.

Gwaine bounded over, refilling his empty tankard with more ale. "A toast! To my handsome self! The most suave in the entire bar!"

Merlin flicked his fingers, spraying ale and getting Gwaine's attention. "Sorry buddy but you're not the most handsome one in the bar. Arthur here beat you in terms of looks." Gwaine blanched as he took Arthur's features in. "Damnit" he scowled, Arthur had indeed the classical blond hair blue eyes, the Mr. Prince charming look.

"Fine, I challenge you to a contest!" Gwaine said dramatically as he pointed to Arthur who gave Gwaine a look of disbelief before turning to Merlin. "Is your friend always like this?"

Merlin sighed, "I've known him but a day but sadly, yes."

"Fair enough. What contest do you propose?" Arthur nodded to himself, he was confident that he would excel at any given task.

Gwaine sat on the table, perching his arm in a open handed grip. "Arm Wrestling. The loser has to drink an glass of ale. You have to join in too Merlin."

Lancelot sighed, he seem to be doing that a lot lately. "I guess I shall be the judge."

_Thirty minutes later_

Merlin had his head in his hands, crossly muttering as the world lurched around him, ethereal colors coloring his vision. Arthur was standing on the table, drunkenly slurring his words. "Zhy am Prriince Arrthaa! Bow teh meh Peasanttss!" A flying glass thrown by one of the other patron conked Arthur on the head, sending him falling backward in a heap.

Gwaine smirked in satisfaction, Merlin and Arthur should have known better than to take him up on his challenge, he had frequented many taverns before and if there was one thing he could boast about, it was his ability to drink and his arm strength.

Merlin giggled drunkenly as he pulled Arthur to his feet, both singing at the top of their lungs with mismatched tunes. The entire bar started howling and shouting at the harsh sounds and started throwing empty glasses in their general direction. Merlin and Arthur just laughed and sang even louder. When the glasses being thrown at them stopped being empty, Lancelot and Gwaine rushed the two to the door. It was their cue to leave.

Outside under the night sky, frigid rain dashed down without mercy. It certainly did help sober up the group a bit. Off to the side of the tavern, a metal cage sat loaded on top of a horse drawn cart, a cloth draped over it to hide the content. The four of them walked past it without a second thought, there was no curiosity as to what was inside the cage. Possibly a wild animal or a trained pet that performed entertaining tricks. The owner of the said cart was nowhere in sight, possibly in the tavern buying a quick drink.

Four steps past the cart, Merlin jerked to a sudden halt, bringing the entire group to an halt. An inexplicable feeling had compelled him to turn back and to take the cloth off the cage. No magical compulsion was cast on his person, it was just a gut instinct, something from his soul that screamed at him that this is a moment of fate.

This is a moment when two paths crossed, two roads walked by two very different people. Are these paths merely brushing against one another or will the paths intertwine?

Merlin took a leap of faith and walked back to the cart. His finger snagged the cloth, ignoring the questions from his friends. He drew the cloth down, revealing what or specifically who was in the cage.

Merlin couldn't believe what he saw. Rather, he couldn't comprehend why and how there could be a young girl shackled in chains, stuffed into a cramped metal cage. The thin torn fabric of her dress clung to her skin, providing no protection against the freezing rain. Startled emerald eyes peered back into his, searching and peering into his soul.

She let out a startled gasp, "It couldn't be... I-is it possible?"

The others had joined him by his side, no doubt disturbed by the sight of a young lady cruelly imprisoned but his attention remained solely on her.

She spoke up, tongue licking at flushed red lips, "B-by a-any chance are you M-Merlin?"

It was strikingly odd for a stranger to know his name but he saw no point in denying his identity."Yes I am." He lifted his wristband to her eyes, his name clearly displayed in the golden lettering.

She covered her mouth as she wept with joy. "I have been searching for you, my name is Freya and I need your help."

_End Pt. 1_

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><p>AN: Whoa! Bromance bonding with Arthur Lancelot, Gwaine and Merlin all in one chapter! What other place than a bar to meet strangers? What better bonding is there than a crazy drunken adventure?

Also, Freya makes her appearance!

Originally this was suppose to be longer but had to be broken up into another chapter which is currently being revised. I think there will be two more chapters after this one to fully flesh out this Last Night Before the Tournament arc.

Please review and let me know if I'm progressing at a decent pace in the story time line. Right now Arthur Merlin and Lancelot are still young, 13-14 years of age while Gwaine is inherently older 16-17. In the canon, Merlin was well into his teen years 16-17 when he want to Camelot.

At this rate, it is going to be a very long while before we reach the original timeline.


	9. The Night Before the TournamentPt2

**Emrys: Magic Unleashed**

A/N: I know a lot of you didn't think much of the last chapter but it was broken up into two parts. What I would suggest is to refresh your memory with the previous chapter before reading this one.

Do enjoy this holiday release. Please always read the Author's note on the bottom and remember to review. I can be quite the beggar for reviews.

Chapter 8: The Night Before the Tournament...WTF HAPPENED? Pt. 2

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><p>Before any questions could be asked, the tavern door opened and a bearded man hollered at them.<p>

"Hey you lot! What are you fools doing? Get away from my cart!"

He walked over slowly, giving Merlin and the rest an ample amount of time to take in the sight of his appearance. He walked with a swagger, no doubt his confidence enchanced by the pair of blades strapped on either side of his waist. They were high quality swords from what Merlin could ascern, the rest of his equipment was equally as expensive and well maintained. A crossbow was slung over his shoulder, chains wrapped around his torso as a makeshift belt for his chainmail.

There is no doubt, the man is a bounty hunter.

The bounty hunter slamed his fist, giving the cage a rattling bang. Freya shrunk back away from her captor and hunched into a quivering ball. "Stay silent if you know whats good for you." he sneered.

"Why is that girl in the cage?"

Merlin showed no extrovert display of menace or hostility despite the potent emotion. In fact, it was more akin to polite detachment, a smile on his lips not quite reaching his eyes. The scruffy man gave a rattling laugh and slammed his hand on the cage again, making the girl inside flinch. "I'm a bounty hunter, the name's Halig. This 'girl' over here is a monster." The girl flinched at the word, Halig continued on. "She's a magical creature, a Bastet. At the stroke of midnight, she transforms into a bloodthirsty beast, mindless with a taste for human flesh."

Arthur, Gwaine and Lancelot couldn't swallow the crap the bounty hunter was spouting. They advanced forward to teach Halig a lesson when Merlin held up his hand, the silent gesture telling them to let him handle it.

"I would like to purchase her from you."

Halig snorted, "Not happening lad, King Uther offered a substantial bounty for the capture of any magical creature, he likes them alive for the execution, publicity and all that."

Merlin sighed. For the first time in his life, there were no inhibitions for him. The alcohol had done wonders to wrest away control, the high from the psychedelic mushroom whispering deranged scenarios in his head. "The time for diplomacy has ended I suppose." Halig squinted at the young lad in front of him. "Wh-?"

There was no warning and no power held back as Merlin rammed his knee between the man's unprotected groin. A howl escaped from the bounty hunter's throat as he felt the 'Earth' and the 'Moon' shatter. Arthur, Gwaine, and Lancelot all winced and clutched their groin in phantom pain. The fact that the man is a seasoned tracker and hunter didn't mean squat. All it takes is one lucky shot or a surprise to deliver a debilitating blow that will leave any man reeling on the floor.

Arthur winced, "That is so not cool bro."

Halig writhed on the ground until Merlin flipped him onto his back, pinning the scum by the throat. There was an ominous sound of metal scraping upon metal as Merlin unsheathed his sword and held it over the man's ruined groin.

"Don't speak, don't breathe, and don't even blink." Halig's eyes watered as he stared into the luminescent green eyes of the young man before him. "I have killed over 10 men today, they were bandits, scums who preyed upon unsuspecting travelers at night." His voice was deadly quiet, barely a whisper but oddly threatening. "Do not tempt me to add one more to the list. Here is my offer, her life for your life. If you agree to my terms, just nod or I will split you from groin up."

Halig nodded frantically, scrambling backwards when Merlin released the pressure on his throat. He turned tail and started running, all the hone senses he acquired as a bounty hunter was screaming at him to put as much distance between himself and the lad with those demonic green eyes.

King Uther had to be informed of the situation.

xXxxXxXxxXxx

Arthur was the first to speak up. "I'm glad you did the honorable thing, helping those who are weaker but... the knee to the groin thing? That was a little over the top there." Gwaine chuckled. "Yeah, I think I heard his balls pop." Merlin flushed with embarrassment, it was a spur of the moment choice. He hadn't intended to be so brutal but some people just won't see reason until it's forced-fed down their throat. A hot burst of anger had washed over him and he reacted before he knew what he was doing.

"Come on, let's help the Freya out of here." Merlin muttered, trying to shake off the bout of his unnatural rage.

Merlin pulled at the lock and bit his lips in worry. It was solidly crafted, blunt force from outside won't even begin to force the lock open and also a key was required to remove the metal chains and cuffs. Merlin turned to the group. "Anyone know how to pick a lock?"

Three blank stares met his gaze and he sighed. "Alright, the only thing that can open this cage without the key is sorcery, there is no other option."

Merlin had already revealed to Gwaine that he possessed the ability to use magic but the newer additions to their group had never seen him utilizing his gifts. He undid his armband, eyes resuming it's natural blue hue. Before he could open the lock, Arthur stepped forward and put a hand on Merlin's shoulder. "You have done a great deal and showed great bravery. I... I can open that lock for you."

Merlin spun around in surprise, "Ehh?"

Arthur eyed the lock, "Yes. It may seem like a great surprise but my adoptive father practices sorcery and often his associates, the druids, share a great deal of their knowledge with me as well. My natural reserves are quite small right now but opening a simple lock is not beyond my capabilities. I was told that after I reach full adulthood, the amount of magic I can store increases several fold."

Surprise didn't even begin to describe Merlin's reaction. Many people spend years to study sorcery only to fail to perform a single spell, some barely can draw enough power to generate a flame to light a candle. Very few people posses the natural talent of having a magical reserve that holds and stores power, accumulating into an usable amount. Generally in these cases, the ability was genetically passed down, meaning somewhere along Arthur's lineage, one of his ancestors had delved rather deeply into magic.

"_Tospringe_!" At the sharp whisper, the lock sprung open with a ping. Gwaine and Lancelot stared at the lock, one with appreciation and one with reluctant approval. Gwaine sighed, "If only I knew that spell, it would have gotten me out of so many sticky situations." Lancelot rebuked Gwaine's simplistic and selfish way of thinking. "Have you considered the chaos this would cause if this became widespread? There are people who will exploit the spell for their own purpose."

Before the argument could advance any further, the girl's shrill shriek split the air as she scrambled back deeper into the cage. "Stay away. No!" She cried hysterically as Arthur and Merlin opened the door to the cage. Arthur held his hands up as did Merlin, "Shhhh. Shhhh. Calm down, We're not going to hurt you." Arthur coaxed in a gentle voice as he inched forward. Freya sobbed harder and hunched into a ball, her eyes darting wildly into the night sky.

She broke out into a pained gasp. "N-no! It's almost midnight. I'm a monster, please just stay away!" she begged. Violent shudders racked her body as she drew deeper within herself. Arthur whispered his incantation again to unlock the cuffs to the chains binding the young lady but the chains refused to open. "What happened? She was fine before but now she is hysterical." Arthur asked as he repeatedly tried to cast the spell. Merlin clenched his fist in rage, "He... probably abused her... look at all those bruises. Seeing him must have triggered the traumatic incidents."

Human depravity really knew no boundaries, Arthur really couldn't phantom how someone could treat the young girl in such a way. She was young, 12 or 13, barely at the start of her womanhood. "I know a bit of healing magic, I'll treat those bruises later but first let me get her out."

Arthur grimaced as the spell failed again, a look that Merlin noticed. "What is the problem? I thought you knew the spell?" He asked as he scrutinized the chains in greater detail. There were several runes crafted into the chains, most likely an enchantment to prevent it from being opened by magical means. It had also had a similar spell pattern that his wrist band had, possibly a magic suppressant enchantment.

"The chain is most likely a recent product from Camelot. Now with Uther approving more and more forms of sorcery with the exception of offensive enchantments, more druids are spreading their craft, hoping to revive the Old Religon again. I know a more advance incantation to unlock this but I do not have the sufficient training for it." Arthur explained in frustration.

Merlin, Gwaine, and Lancelot looked at each other and started laughing, totally dismissing the serious mood Arthur was conveying.

"What do you find so hilarious?" Arthur demanded, looking scandalized.

Merlin wiped away a tear. "You're talking about magic-hating Uther?"

Gwaine chimed in, "The one who started the great purge?"

Lancelot added in helpfully, "I might just be some farmer boy in the outer region of Camelot but even I know Uther is very intolerant of the druids or any form of magic."

Arthur sighed, "You three are so out of the loop. King Uther had announced two years ago that Magic would be tolerate in Camelot as long as it wasn't offensive or destructive in nature. The sorcerer would be have registered in the records and then their sorcery would have to be researched and documented extensively. Even then, they would be monitored in a special area of town. Any rogue sorcerer found either has to registered or ends up with the death sentence, thankfully my reserves are so small it's almost not worthy of notice."

A glimmer of hope sparked up in Merlin. The idea of not having to hide from magical persecution was rather appealing. However, tolerance doesn't mean there isn't discrimination. Merlin idly wondered if he could start selling his craft afterward to Camelot, the city was defintely more prosperous. However, such thoughts could wait, he needed to attempt to unlock the chains. Hopefully, his luck with spells would pull through.

"Arthur. I need you to tell me the incantation to unlock the spell."

Merlin had a sincere look in his eyes, telling him to trust him. "Hang on. Weren't your eyes green before?"

"That's not important, just tell me the spell. I can explain later." Merlin answered back. He did not want Freya to stay in the cage for any longer. And if the story about the Bastet was true, midnight was awfully close.

"The spell incantation is _Unspanne þás mægþ_!" It was quite lengthy and Merlin stumbled over the words a few times but he finally got the spell to work, the cuff-links popping off Freya's limbs. Another spell learned.

"Noooo!" She howled as the magic inhibitor failed. The magic of the curse was taking over, the animalistic rage growing.

"Get away, I'm transforming!"

Black wings erupted from her back, her bones cracking as her form was forced to shift into that of a panther, dark fur growing over her body. Lancelot and Gwaine leapt back, never having encountered a magical beast before.

Arthur cursed and pulled out a druidic dagger from his boots, he didn't know enough about the defensive capabilities of the Bastet. The dagger he had was blessed by the druids, capable of penetrating mid C class defenses. The dagger itself was rather plain but well forged.

"Merlin, get back. She's going to attack!" Arthur snapped, the young lad still at the gate of the cage.

"No she won't. She doesn't want to. I can see it in her eyes."

Freya in her Bastet form growled menacingly at the silly human in front of her. It seemed meaty enough, she hadn't ate for so long...

_"Stop. Freya. You don't want to do this." _

A voice echoed in her head, powerful, compelling, it was the voice of an Alpha Male. **"GRRRRWARL!"** she roared in defiance, trying to scare off the originator of the voice.

_"Stop. Don't do this Freya. I will not hurt you."_

Merlin could see her fear, he could hear her fear, and he could understand her fear. It was a form of empathy, heightened and enchanced by his magic. He could see that she had killed before, waking up to find her hands bloodied, pieces of human flesh between her teeth. The horror that she felt, the revulsion and self-loathing. Freya didn't deserve this.

Merlin tried desperately to see the cause of the transformation. It appeared to be a curse enchantment of some sort. Parasitic judging by the way threads of the enchantment siphoned magic energy from Freya's magic reserves. The enchantment itself was too complex and too deeply intertwined into Freya's magic for him to remove it on such short notice, nor did he posses the knowledge on how to lift it. The only thing he could do right now is to try to cut off the flow of magic from the curse.

He needed to seal her magic.

Luckily for him, he had an artifact that did just that. His arm band could seal even his magical gifts, the question was whether or not it would be enough to revert the transformation. Freya growled at him again, prompting him to telepathically reach out to her again. He didn't understand how he could speak to her with his mind. It took a certain level of connection before he could even realize that he could emphatically project his voice. However, not many could hear it, seeing that Arthur and the rest had no idea.

_"Freya. I'm going to put this bracelet on you. It'll seal your magic and stop the transformation. I need you to remain calm for me."_

Muscles coiled like a tense spring beneath the matted fur, Freya was ready to attack if the man came one inch closer. He lift his arms out slowly and that was all it took for Freya to loose control over her primal side. A fearsome yowl emitted from from the Bastet and Arthur pushed Merlin aside, ready to put down the threat when the air rippled and Arthur found himself sitting on the ground with the seat of his pants wet.

What the fuck?

When Freya dashed forward to attack, Merlin's eye exploded into a golden glare. Freya was approaching too quickly for him to subdue her, he needed more time. He dug deep into his core for every scrap of energy he had and threw it into a bubble of energy. Normally, the bubble formed around the subject he wanted to slow down. It was hell for him to slow things down for more than a few seconds.

Normally 3-5 seconds was fine, anything past 7 seconds was pushing it. Speeding up his time was easy, because his magic meshed easily with his own energy and he could hold it for longer. Unfortunately, Arthur, Gwaine, and Lancelot would simply see him moving as an impossible blur of color if he did speed up his own time. Slowing down everyone's time in a spherical barrier left him with more freedom to stop Freya with the bracelet without giving away his supernatural ability.

Stopping time was not natural, even for magic practitioners. Merlin pushed Arthur aside, apologies could be made later, stopping time in such a wide radius was killing him, literally. Blood trickled from his nose as the pressure built inside his cranium, time was running out. What irony.

He hurried forward and secure the leather band on the panther's leg, the latent enchantment kicking in as it detected an active magical force and did it's work in repressing any supernatural abilities. Freya morphed back into her human form, her tattered red dress barely covering her modesty. Merlin barely had time to wrap her up in his overcoat when he ran dry out of energy to fuel the time dilation.

Arthur looked up at him from where he sat in the ground, uncomfortaly wet on his behind.

"What the fuck?"

Merlin held the unconscious girl in his arms, he was not far off from passing out himself. He had never ever ran out of magic before. It was always sealed, fueling his body, running through his muscles and blood as a life force. He had never felt so empty, a horrible ache from within his bones and now he feels weak like a damp piece of cloth. Arthur caught his pallid tone and dull blue eyes. "Whoa there Merlin, are you okay? You're looking off-kilter there for a bit."

Lancelot and Gwaine took Freya from his arms and threw a cloak over her to conceal her features from prying eyes. Merlin wiped the blood trailing from his nose. Black and white circles dotting his vision. "Freya needs medical attention right now! We can't go to just anyone. I know someone, my mother mention. Gauis, the court physician. He can help us out!"

Arthur went white at the mention of Gaius, "Are you mad? Seeking the help of the King's physician?"

Gwaine and Lancelot exchanged silent looks. It appeared there was more to this Gaius character than they knew about. "What's so special about this physician? It's risky smuggling a fugitive into the most heavily guarded Kingdom, mundane or magic-wise.

"Tell him that I'm Hunnith's son. He'll help...I think..."Merlin muttered weakly and than promptly passed out.

Arthur picked Merlin up and slung his over his shoulder, he looked at Gwaine. "I need some help here, this lad is heavy like a bull!" Gwaine sighed and went to the opposite side of Arthur and supported Merlin's arm around his shoulder as well.

"Come on, we don't want to be caught near the crime scene. I'm speaking from experience." Gwaine said seriously as if he were a master of hightailing from crime scenes. Dubious past indeed.

Arthur rolled his eyes and Lancelot sighed.

_"Life was simpler in the country side..."_

* * *

><p>AN:

**Happy Holidays to all you people. **

I will be working on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year Eve, and New Year day.

Yes it sucks but I will have time to brainstorm a bit more for the new plot.

Shocked that Arthur practices sorcery? Anyone can learn the craft if they devote enough time to it but they also need a certain degree of talent.

So we meet Gauis next and Arthur somehow ends up with a solid gold crown. Any guesses on how it happens?

Review please. The goal for this chapter is 15 reviews.

So 60 reviews! Go Go Go! XD

Evelsaint out for the holidays~


	10. The Night Before the TournamentPt3

**Emrys: Magic Unleashed**

_Summary: Merlin grows up normal, his tremendous magical abilities sealed away, but one day he embraces it fully and the world is never the same. _

A/N: So I hoped everyone had a great New Year and Happy Holidays. I certainly enjoyed mine but I wasn't idle in my writing. I hope you enjoy this installment as things are picking up.

Sadly it appears that less and less people are reading this. That's fine with me. I enjoy writing Merlin because of the wide range of freedom it provides me. If I wanted reviews, I'd write for one of my other fics. It does help motivate and give me ideas though.

Chapter 9: The Night Before the Tournament...WTF HAPPENED? Pt. 3

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><p>The castle is an impenetrable fortress.<p>

At every corner, there were guards stationed and more were patrolling as the hours passed. It was impossible to sneak into the castle without alerting the guards to their presence. However, the situation was looking dire for Freya and Merlin, they could not waste time. They only had one option, to enter through the front door.

Even as they approached, the two sentries crossed their pole arms together to bar them from further access. Suspicion was paramount, every last person and ever last movement and detail needed to be taken in and processed, A large group simply attracted too much attention.

"Visitors after hours are strictly prohibited in the castle. Please remove yourself!" One of the guards barked, his eyes cold and suspicious. He leveled a glare at the group, any sort of visitors after hours meant trouble.

Arthur gestured at Merlin, whose head lolled limply as Arthur supported him. "My friend is seriously ill, we seek the court physician, Gauis. Please sir, we mean no harm." Arthur hated to beg but he learned to be humble, especially since he was the one asking favors from the other party.

The guard's glare lessened but the suspicion remained. "He could be drunk for all I know. We can't have every riff-raff bothering the court physician every time they drink too much. I'm sorry but you may not pass."

Lancelot carried Freya in his arms, her pale skin and unkempt condition stood out against the purple bruising along her arms and torso. "If you could pass a message to Gauis, Let him know that Hunith's son is here, also we require aid for this young lady over here. We found her beaten and abused."

The guards hesitated, they could clearly see that the group had no malicious intentions and the fact that a young girl was suffering left them feeling uncomfortable. Compassion won over and one of the guards went to pass the message along. It was a terribly long and awkward wait.

It was five minutes before the guard came back with an elderly man. He walked with speed and purpose, his eyes searching the group even as he approached. He stopped in front of Arthur, his eyes taking in Arthur's face. The situation became awkward when Gauis had yet to lift his gaze from Arthur after a full minute.

"Is something wrong Gauis? Do you know these people?" The gaurds asked, readying his hand on the hilt of his sword to subdue the group if they weren't who they claimed to be. There was a taut tension for a moment before Gauis finally responded.

"Yes." Gauis said slowly. "I can scarcely believe my eye but yes, it has been a while since I've seen some of them." Arthur shifted nervously, he knew he was young when he was taken and raised by Balinor but he didn't expect anyone to recognize him. Gauis had last seen him as a toddler but could discern it was him immediately.

Does this mean Uther would recognize him with one glance also?

Gauis slapped the other guard over the head. "You numbskull. What are you doing with your sword still out. Help me move them to my quarters so I can treat them." The guards hastily sheathed his sword and hurriedly followed Gauis' order. It appeared that Gauis had a bit of pull around here if he could get away with slapping one of the sentry over the head.

"Sorry Gauis but we need to check them first, security and all." Gauis rolled his eyes. "For lord's sake, if they were sorcerers, they would've glamored themselves, confounded you, and snuck past you without you knowing. Now help me before I use you to test my next potion." The grizzly guard paled and hurried to help Arthur, he did not want to be the test dummy for Gauis' new concoctions; they were legendary for their humiliating side effects.

* * *

><p>Gauis pried open Merlin's eyelid carefully to examine the pupil. The dilation of the pupil in response to the light was slow. "He most likely had too much to drink and over exerted himself, all he needs is a infusion of wormwood and that'll help him regain his senses." The elderly physician turned his attention to Freya. Her injuries were much more serious than Merlin's ailment. It appear that she had been subjected to a constant magical drain on her core, her magic was severely damaged.<p>

He whisked around and went to his cupboard where a reddish grey potion was stored. Grey tendrils moved through the murky liquid as if alive. Arthur stiffened, he recognized that particular potion. It was commonly given to young sorcerers who have strained their magic too severely while attempting to expand their magic reserves. He had to take that potion for a week straight after he foolishly attempted a higher tier incantation, it drained him of his meager reserves before failing miserably.

Gaius tilted the beaker to Freya's mouth, forcing her to swallow the bitter metallic concoction.

Freya shuddered before gagging, she shot upright and started retching. Gaius had expected this and placed a basin in the way of her projectile vomit. "Easy there, I know it taste bad but you have to drink this." She drank it begrudgingly but the color started returning to her cheeks, a definite improvement from her pale pallor.

Fire coursed through her veins and Freya marveled at the warmth that filled the hungering void within her soul. It was so warm and felt safe, lulling her to sleep.

Gauis pulled the potion away from her and stoppered it. "That's enough for you my dear. Your magical core is severely damaged, the Fire potion can only help numb you to the pain so much. This potion is highly addictive and cannot be consumed more than a few mouthfuls a day."

Casting a shrewd look at Gaius, Arthur decided to choose his words carefully. "You know about magic, you know about me. What do you intend to do? Why are you helping us?"

Lancelot and Gwaine stayed silent, they did not understand the full scope of the situation.

"Arthur, I'm an old man. What can I do but to help pass on my knowledge to those around me? I have no intention of hurting anyone, nor do I have any intention of telling Uther the truth." Indeed, the last thing Gaius wanted to do was to re-open old wounds. Uther had taken hard to Arthur's disappearance and sent out search parties for years, butting heads with other Kingdoms by sending armed troops into foreign lands.

It was only when he discovered Morganna did his fanatical search for Arthur cease. He gave up hope, that Arthur was alive, and focused his attentions on Morgana. Even when Morgana's Magical abilities manifested, Uther forced himself to change his stance on magic to protect her.

A knock on the door had everyone on alert, it was a courier. "Gaius, Morgana is on her way here for a sleeping draught, please prepare one for her." Gaius cursed under his breathe, the last thing he needed was these bands of misfits to come to the attention of Uther. They were mostly healed and needed no further treatment.

He stoppered a few vials of the Fire Potion and handed it to Lancelot, the most reasonable looking of the group. "Two Vials a day for three days. That should be more than enough to treat the damage to her core from over time. Now scram before you get caught."

Arthur pulled Merlin to his feet, "Thank you Gaius." Indeed, the old physician was not duty bound to help them and if Uther discovered that he was holding back knowledge of his continued existence, the death penalty would be the last of the old physician's worries.

"Go, you have a nice group of friends there, you should stay in touch, one can never have too many friends." Gaius chided as he peered intently at Merlin. Will the young lad awaken his Dragonlord abilities? It is his birthright and even with Balinor still alive, the powers tend to manifest over time.

The group exited, the creaky door closing and leaving him in choking silence. Gaius headed over to his lab and started preparing a sleeping draught, his body moving on auto-pilot as years of experience as his mind wandered. Meeting Arthur was something he never expected to happen in his lifetime. He had suspected Balinor to be the one to take Arthur away and he seemed to have done quite well at raising the young prince into a respectable lad.

Arthur had clear eyes, a straight posture, someone of confidence with noble values. It really lead him to wonder how Merlin would have turned out under the guidance of his father. It was a pity the lad was not awake, he really would have liked to speak to the young man and guide him. Last he heard, he was undertaking an apprenticeship as a blacksmith in the Capital of Escetia.

There was a polite knock on the door before it opened without hesitation. Princess Morgana has frequented enough times for her sleeping draft to be comfortable. She had a dark dress on, no doubt chosen to stand out in the light glow of the moon. "Gaius, I fear I need to trouble you for a sleeping draft again, my visions are getting stronger. Someone has arrived here in Camelot and my gifts are going haywire, I'm seeing random flashes of the future but it is regarding people who I have never met." To see but not understand, it's maddening.

Gaius nearly let slip the flask from his fingers that he had been concocting the potion in. Was there something about Arthur and Merlin that called out to Morgana's innate seer abilities? Gaius smooth out any expressions of surprises, "Was there anything special that you saw them doing?"

Morgana huffed and crossed her arms. "Not really. It was more of faces and places I haven't seen. Also, one of them had Father's crown for some reason. Could they be insurgents?" she asked petulantly. Not being able to control her seer abilities really was a set back.

Gaius handed her the flask, "A very unlikely event. Uther will die before he let's anyone take his crown."

Morgana took a sip and smiled brightly, "Very true I suppose. Thank you for the brew Gaius, just enough honey to hide the bitterness." Gaius bowed slightly, "Well off you go girl, Don't stay the halls too late."

Morgana closed the door behind after she left and Gaius sat down with a weary sigh. He was getting too old for all the half-truths that he had to tell and conceal.

* * *

><p>Arthur, Lancelot, and Gwaine were carrying Freya and Merlin out when they crossed the great hall, something glittering the the soft moonlight made Arthur stop. "What's the matter?" Gwaine asked curiously as he tried peering over Arthur's shoulder. A moment later, he found himself catching a limp Merlin that Arthur had pushed into his arms. "You two go ahead first and leave, I need to see something." Arthur ordered as he continued looking into the great hall.<p>

Lancelot and Gwaine shrugged and set off to leave. Arthur made sure the sound of their shuffling footsteps faded before he entered the great hall. It was rather impressive, with paintings and sculptures decorating the room. What really caught his attention was a golden crown, inlaid with small but beautiful sapphire and ruby gems, sitting on the throne.

Arthur was surprised to see no guards in the immediate vicinity but he doubt that anyone had the balls to steal the crown. He had no delusions as to his heritage. Balinor never hid the truth from him, he knew that his name is Arthur Pendragon, heir of the Kingdom of Camelot. What would his life had been like if not for Balinor? Would he have grown up to be a spoiled and arrogant pomp?

His fingers brushed against the crown and he was filled with a tempting desire to wear the crown and try it. It is his birthright either way he mused. Tentatively, he lifted the crown and set it on his head, waiting for some sort of epiphany or profound revelation from wearing the crown.

Nothing.

"You, what are you doing with the King's Crown? GUARDS! WE HAVE AN INTRUDER, SEIZE HIM!"

Arthur froze when he heard the voice from behind him, his hands shook at the idea of being caught and discovered, Fight or Flight? Fight or Flight? Before he knew what was going on, he found himself tearing through the hall through a a side exit.

Well, Flight it is.

Unfortunately, he forgot to remove the crown. He snatched the offending object off his head and put on the hood of his travel cloak to conceal his features. The clunking and clattering footsteps were drawing closer, he glanced side way out the window. A good fifteen feet drop, won't kill him but it will hurt. He grit his teeth and jumped out, tucking in his knees to brace for impact. Landing on his feet, he quickly pushed forward in a roll to disperse the stress on his legs.

Then he took off running to the tavern, the crown an unintended souvenir from his little trip.

* * *

><p>Morgana huffed after she finished berating the Guards. They had failed to guard the Great Hall where the King kept his crown. She was on her way back to the room when she saw a stranger, placing the crown on his head.<p>

She didn't get a good look at his features before he bolted and even now, the guards couldn't locate the thief. It was a bit challenging since they had no description for who to look for.

"Incompetence." She muttered.

"Indeed."

Morgana spun around in surprise. "Father! What are you doing up?"

Uther pinned her with a hard look. "The question Morgana, is why are you up in the middle of the night? If the Thief had came across you, you could be injured or killed! The crown is a trivial matter! You cannot be replaced, you know that Morgana. Why did you put yourself at risk?"

Morgana flushed at the scolding, "I was having troubles with my dreams and asked Gaius for a sleeping draught. I saw the thief on the way back to my chambers and called for the guards."

"Seal the castle and search every room! If the thief is still here, they might target Princess Morgana! I want no room left unsearched! Go!"

At his orders, hundreds of guards saluted and went to search. "Yes your Majesty!"

Uther was starting to fuss over her again, something she did not like but accepted. She knew that her brother, Arthur, was kidnapped when he was young and Uther took it hard. Now he took it upon himself to never let anything like that happen to her. For heaven's sake, he wouldn't even let her go hunting the his private forest.

"Father, I'll retire for the night if that is permitted by you."

Uther motioned to a company of guards, "Of course Morganna." He turned to the dozen or so guards, "You will keep watch outside of the Princess' chambers. If anyone tries to enter, kill them first, ask questions later."

The entire contingent went down on one knee and crossed one arm across their chest in a salute. "Yes. Your Majesty!"

Morgana sighed, sometimes it sucked being a princess with an over protective father.

* * *

><p>Arthur made it back to the tavern, well the part of it that had rooms. He had circled around town a few times to lose any pursuers as a precaution, the last thing he needed was to get caught because of some sloppy rookie mistake like heading directly to where he would be staying.<p>

Lancelot was the only one still awake when he arrived. Freya had curled up next to Merlin and Gwaine passed out sitting on a chair. Arthur set the crown down on the table. Arthur sighed at Lancelot's inquiring gaze, "It's complicated."

The young man frowned slightly in displeasure. "I would hope so because it appears to me, you have stolen something of great value. I doubt Uther would leave it alone. Do you wish to return it?"

Arthur snorted and sat back on the rickety chair, his eyes stormy. "That's just asking to have my hands chopped off if I'm lucky. They'll execute me for stealing most likely."

Lancelot nodded, "Well, I understand that you are a practitioner of magic. What exactly is your stance regarding Uther? I am only asking this because what you want, might differ and clash directly against my hopes and dreams. I intend to become a Knight."

"A knight?" Arthur spluttered. Lancelot crossed his fingers together, "I have always dreamed of being a noble and honorable Knight. Camelot is my home and I wish to be one that defends it." Arthur knew the laws and traditions of Camelot, heavily tutored in them. "Only those from the noble families can be knights. You only ..."

"I'm only a farmer's son right? Knighthood is impossible for a peasant like me?" Lancelot finished bitterly. "There are more than one way to attain Knighthood. Either through a great act of valor and bravery or a battlefield promotion. However, there is a third option and lesser known option: The Anti-Magic Force."

The blood drained from Arthur's face. "You mean the task force that is trained to take down magical creatures and fight against sorcerers?" Lancelot nodded, "This is why I'm asking you whether or not our dreams and goals will come into conflict. I can see that you are a good person, I don't want to be the one to hunt you down."

Arthur felt stricken, if only Lancelot knew of the things he was learning or the company he kept. "Well, I certainly don't intend to abuse magic and harm innocent people if that is what you mean. but Magic already has become an integral part of my life, I am not willing to give it up. However, I will promise you this. You are my friend and as far as friends go, we will always have each other's back."

Arthur held out his hand, "Friends?"

Lancelot took his own and shook it. "Friends."

Lancelot could feel it, Arthur was someone special. Couldn't hurt having friends in all the right places.

* * *

><p>AN: Took a while but finally update, I will go into the tournament in depth now. Hopefully this cleared up the crazy adventures, it spanned our further than I'd like it to be but it covered a lot of new information.

There is a new Merlin story I just had to get out of my head.

So look froward to my next update and my new story that will be posted soon.

Evelsaint out.


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